If you thought Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season preparations would be dominated by talk of new players, especially Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, then think again.
Sure, newcomers have been talked about but none as talked about as a certain Luca Williams-Barnett.
The youngster has been one of the stars of the game against MK Dons and Auckland so far, with a number of academy players getting the nod in the first two games.
Like many Premier League teams, their plans have had an impact on the World Cup. A number of Spurs’ first-team players 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 preseason show
With Tonali arriving for £100m and Fernandes leaving for £85m, rightly all the focus was on the center of the pitch in last Wednesday’s 1-0 win over MK Dons.
Tonali had a quieter debut than his new midfield partner who made a big impact, scoring a stunning volley just three minutes into the game.
However, despite that goal, it was Williams-Barnett who was the big story after the game.
The 17-year-old has long been thought of behind the scenes. In the words of Como scout Ben Mattinson he is “one of the best talents in England at youth level” and it’s obvious why.
He made his first team debut for the Lilywhites last season and it was well deserved. After all, in the youth teams, the teenager scored 16 goals in 19 games in 2025/26.
|
Williams-Barnett vs MK Dons |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
45 |
|
To touch |
33 |
|
Accurate passes |
20/22 (91%) |
|
Key passes |
3 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2/6 |
|
It carries |
14 |
|
Duels won |
3/8 |
An attacking midfielder by trade, the youngster can also play on the flanks or move back a bit in midfield, as his performance against MK showed a few days ago.
Appearing as a second-half substitute, Williams-Barnett oozed class in the middle of the park while playing a low-lying role. His passing was great and his passing weight was amazing. He left the field having attempted six balls and hit three important passes.
His performance in the 2-0 win over Auckland FC in the early hours of Sunday wasn’t great but it was still eye-catching. He had five shots in that game.
While it would be too early to throw Williams-Barnett into the regular starting XI in the Premier League, Spurs need to improve their front line to give him a good chance of success in the future.
How Spurs can help Williams-Barnett improve
Based on the performance we saw from the youngster before the season, it is surprising that he was not given more game time last season due to injuries and the problem of being eaten by the ax.
The pressure of playing in such a place may have damaged his development but he could have played an important role, especially with James Maddison on the sidelines.
Maddison will certainly be one of the biggest threats during the Williams-Barnett matchup in the future. Rumors suggest he will be the next captain if Cristian Romero leaves meaning he could be one of the first names on the team sheet. The arrival of Tonali and Fernandes will not help him get more game time in a deeper role.
However, when you have a young player as good as this one, he commands minutes, he commands a place in the team. Roberto De Zerbi must find a place for him next season.
The truth is he will be a big player in the future and as Tottenham’s recruitment has been this summer, they now need to look to improve the final third.
A number of players have been given the chance to be replaced, perhaps the most exciting being Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi. They have also looked at Savinho from Manchester City and he will seem to be highly regarded. He could cost £60m.
Giving the latest on their pursuit of the Brazilian, Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Savinho is one of the players they absolutely want.
If Spurs were looking for the right winning player, then there would be a good relationship with whoever plays in that number 10 role. Whether it’s Maddison or Williams-Barnett, they can both thrive alongside someone as technically gifted as this.
Savinho is not the greatest goalscorer of all time – he has just seven goals in 84 games for City – but he is very talented. His first season at the Etihad saw him assist 13 goals in all competitions. In the Premier League at the time, only Kevin De Bruyne (2.1) made more important passes per game than Spurs’ league leaders (1.6) Manchester City.
The truth is that both Savio and Williams-Barnett have exceptional skills and are both excellent ball carriers.
This proved as much when he attempted those six dribbles against MK Dons. The former, in comparison, made 7.45 goals per 90 minutes in 2025/26, a figure that puts him in the top 1% of the best forwards in Europe’s top five leagues.
Together, they can be incredibly dangerous to work in pockets of space on the edge of space and within channels.
