As much as signing players is important, Tottenham Hotspur will look to promote a few young players to their senior squad under Roberto De Zerbi.
Whether they make the step up and become key players for the Lilywhites, or move on to greener pastures while fetching the club a decent fee, it goes down as a huge win for the academy, especially for clubs to comply with FFP regulations.
So far in pre-season, a handful of young players have been given opportunities to prove their worth, with Archir Gray captaining Tottenham in the last two games.
And ahead of their game against Chelsea, De Zerbi has singled out three young players for special praise.
De Zerbi praises Tottenham trio
Malachi Hardy, Luca Williams-Barnett and Mikey Moore have featured regularly in pre-season so far.
While Moore has been linked with a Tottenham departure, Hardy and Williams-Barnett look like they could be in and around the senior squad this season.
The latter, in particular, has made a massive impression, even coolly tucking away a Panenka penalty in the shootout win against Sydney FC.
And De Zerbi feels each of the aforementioned players can play big roles for Tottenham this season.
“For a club like Tottenham, our level is crucial because when you go into the Champions League, European competition, to complete the list for financial fair play is very important,” said the Italian at a press conference ahead of the game against Chelsea.
“Sometimes people forget the rules of financial fair play, but it’s very important to produce players from the academy.
“Now we are working on three or four potential very good players like Luca Williams-Barnett, Malachi Hardy and Mikey Moore, even if he’s older.
“It’s part of my job and I work with the same passion, with the same details, with the same behaviour because it’s important for now and for the future of the club.”
De Zerbi is expected to field a young lineup again tomorrow, so expect Williams-Barnett, in particular, to play a huge role once again.
