Why Spurs’ pursuit of £60m star is good news for Williams-Barnett

If you thought Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season preparation would be dominated by talk of new signings, chiefly Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, then think again.

Sure, the new arrivals have been talked about but none them are being discussed quite as much as a certain Luca Williams-Barnett.

The teenager has been one of the stars of the show against MK Dons and Auckland so far, with a number of academy players getting the nod over the first two games.

Like most Premier League sides, their plans have been impacted by the World Cup. Plenty of Spurs’ first-team contingent are still on holiday which means there has been game time for the aforementioned Williams-Barnett, as well as the likes of Malachi Hardy, Rio Kyerematen, Mikey Moore and Yang Min-hyeok among others.

Why Williams-Barnett is the star of the show in pre-season

With Tonali arriving for £100m and Fernandes moving for £85m, rightfully all of the spotlight was centered on the midfield heading into that 1-0 win over MK Dons last Wednesday.

Tonali had a quieter debut than his new midfield colleague who made an almighty impact, scoring a remarkable volley just three minutes into the game.

However, despite that goal, it was Williams-Barnett who was the biggest story after the game.

The 17-year-old has long been highly thought of behind the scenes. In the words of Como scout Ben Mattinson he is “one of England’s best talents at youth level” and it’s clear to see why.

He made his first-team debut for the Lilywhites last season and that was richly deserved. After all, for the youth sides, the teen scored 16 goals in 19 games throughout 2025/26.

An attacking midfielder by trade, the youngster can also play on the flanks or even slightly further back in midfield, as his performances vs MK a few days ago demonstrated.

Appearing as a second half substitute, Williams-Barnett simply oozed class in the middle of the park while playing in a deep-lying role. His ball carrying was immense and his weight of pass was remarkably good. He left the field having attempted a whopping six dribbles and produced three key passes.

His display in the 2-0 win over Auckland FC in the early hours of Sunday morning was not quite as good but it was still an eye-catching performance. He had as many as five shots in that game.

While it would be too soon to throw Williams-Barnett into a regular starting berth in the Premier League, Spurs do need to improve their forward line to give him the best chance of succeeding in the future.

How Spurs can help Williams-Barnett improve

Based on the performances we have seen from the teenager in pre-season it’s something of a surprise that he wasn’t given more game time last term amid a spate of injuries and relegation trouble.

The pressure of playing in such an environment may well have damaged his development but he could have played a vital part, particularly with James Maddison on the sidelines.

Maddison will certainly be one of the big threats to Williams-Barnett’s game time in the future. Rumours suggest he will be the next captain if Cristian Romero leaves which means he is likely to be one of the first names on the team sheet. The arrivals of Tonali and Fernandes will not help him earn much game time in a deeper role either.

However, when you have a young player as good as this, he commands minutes, he commands a place in the team. Roberto De Zerbi must find room for him next season.

The fact is that he is going to be a huge player in the future and as good as Tottenham’s recruitment has been this summer, they now need to look at improving in the final third.

Several players have been touted with a switch, perhaps most excitingly Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth. They have also looked at Manchester City’s Savinho and he would appear to be a key target. He could cost £60m.

Providing the latest on their pursuit of the Brazilian, Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Savinho is one of the players they absolutely want. They remain in the conversation, they remain very keen, they are on it. The deal is absolutely on.”

If Spurs did seal a move for the right winger, then a wonderful partnership could be struck up here with whoever plays in that number 10 role. Whether it be Maddison or Williams-Barnett, both would thrive alongside someone as technically gifted as this.

Savinho is not the biggest of goalscorers – he has just seven goals in 84 games for City – but he is very creative. His debut season at the Etihad saw him assist 13 goals in all competitions. In the Premier League that term, only Kevin De Bruyne (2.1) made more key passes per match than the Spurs linked forward (1.6) at Manchester City.

The fact is that both Savio and Williams-Barnett are both particularly creative and they are both excellent ball carriers.

The latter proved as much when he attempted those six dribbles against MK Dons. The former, by way of comparison, made as many as 7.45 progressive carries per 90 minutes in 2025/26, a figure that ranks him among the best 1% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues.

Together, they would be incredibly dangerous operating in pockets of space on the edge of the area and inside the channels.