---
title: "‘Big potential’ – Roberto De Zerbi blown away by Tottenham player"
canonical: "https://readtottenham.com/2026/09/18/big-potential-roberto-de-zerbi-blown-away-by-tottenham-player/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Vishal Subramanian"
section: "Tottenham News"
published: "2026-09-18T12:37:46Z"
modified: "2026-09-22T17:00:38Z"
---

# ‘Big potential’ – Roberto De Zerbi blown away by Tottenham player

**Tottenham Hotspur will take on Aston Villa in the Premier League tomorrow as they look for their first win in the competition this season.**

Roberto De Zerbi’s side are coming on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup despite their best efforts.

And while Tottenham performed fairly well on the night despite the result, Luca Williams-Barnett didn’t play a single minute when a lot of the fans expected him to get some minutes.

And now, De Zerbi feels he needs to use his young players cautiously so that they can continue to develop.

## Luca Williams-Barnett has big future at Tottenham

“Yes, I have a big consideration because he’s a good player and a big potential player,” admitted De Zerbi via [Football London](https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/news/tottenham-press-conference-live-de-34636054) when asked about Williams-Barnett.

“We have to understand when the best situation is for him and the team also. It’s a different job to manage a young player, especially when they have the potential to be a top player.

“You can’t put them in a bad condition but you also can’t forget about them. I didn’t forget about Luca, and I didn’t forget about Malachi \[Hardy\] but it’s about the right moment.”

> Roberto De Zerbi on Luca Williams-Barnett…\
> \
> "We have to understand when there is the best situation for him and the team also. It is a different job to manage the young, young player. Especially when the young player has the top potential. You can’t put them in a bad situation… [pic.twitter.com/qibQkz514D](https://t.co/qibQkz514D)
>
> — Chris Cowlin (@ChrisCowlin) [September 18, 2026](https://x.com/ChrisCowlin/status/2100912810754490660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Now that Tottenham are out of the League Cup, Williams-Barnett and other youngsters might have to wait until the FA Cup to get some minutes.

However, De Zerbi has made it clear that he rates both Williams-Barnett and Hardy, so they will look to gain some valuable experience by training with the senior pros every week.