Tottenham Hotspur have a rich history of producing talent from their academy, having unearthed the likes of Harry Kane, Ledley King and Sol Campbell, amongst others.
Jamie Donley is the latest academy star to make his senior debut for the north Londoners, coming on as a late substitute in the 3-3 draw at Manchester City earlier this season.
So who will be the next gem to emerge from Hotspur Way? Football FanCast takes a look at 10 Spurs prospects that could break through in 2024.
10 Mikey Moore English, 16 years old
If you follow transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, you may well be very familiar with Mikey Moore, as he often tweeted about the youngster over the summer.
Romano kept his followers up to date with the ongoing saga surrounding Moore's contract situation before the 16-year-old eventually penned a new deal with the north Londoners in June.
Many clubs on the continent were thought to be interested in Moore but Daniel Levy made sure his academy star remained put at Hotspur Way.
The highly-rated England youth international has continued to light up academy football this term, scoring eight goals and providing five assists across seven outings with the under-18s side.
Moore's next step will be to establish himself as a regular for the under-21s, having already made two appearances for the Premier League 2 outfit last season, aged just 15.
9 Rio Kyerematen English, 18 years old
Rio Kyerematen enjoyed a stellar campaign with the Under-18s last term, netting five goals whilst laying on seven assists from central midfield.
The 2005-born Londoner made his England Under-18 debut in June and has stepped up to 21s football this term, so he's clearly making the necessary inroads towards a senior debut.
The short video below evinces his combative nature but also a calming presence on the ball and ability to make driving runs, drawing comparisons to Manchester City's Mateo Kovačić.
Club insider superhotspur wrote this on Kyerematen last year: "Always looking to make decisive forward passes, Rio is a very good passer of a football, and he has a good range of passing. In addition, he is also very reliable on the ball, is very good at dribbling with the ball and at turning with it, and he uses the ball really well."
8 Matthew Craig Scottish, 20 years old
Matthew Craig has been a fixture of Tottenham's under-21s for the last few seasons and was rewarded with a first-team debut against Leeds United in May, coming on as a substitute for the final 13 minutes.
Craig has progressed through Scotland's youth ranks and made his debut for the under-21 team last September.
The 20-year-old has captained the Lilywhites in the Premier League 2 this term, evidencing just how highly thought of he is amongst the staff and players.
Craig is predominantly a defensive midfielder but has also played at left-back, right-back and centre-back in previous seasons.
He penned a new deal with the club over the summer running through until 2026 and could become a fully-fledged academy graduate next year.
7 Nile John English, 20 years old
Nile John had interest from Brighton and Hove Albion, Basel and Cercle Brugge over the summer, but opted to pen a new contract with the N17 club.
John has in fact made a couple of senior appearances, but his last came over two years ago in a Europa Conference League qualifier against Pacos de Ferreira.
The midfielder was shipped out on loan to Charlton in January 2022 but returned to north London less than three months later, having not played a minute.
The 20-year-old has been a key performer for the academy over the last year and is beginning to mount a case for another crack at senior football.
Whether that be with Spurs or elsewhere, perhaps on a loan deal, remains to be seen.
2023/24
9
3
1
2022/23
21
3
0
2021/22
20
7
3
6 Luca Gunter English, 18 years old
Luca Gunter, the only goalkeeper on this list, was spotted in first-team training earlier this season by eagle-eyed Tottenham supporters.
The promising shot-stopper captained the under-18s last season on their way to a League Cup double and was awarded a new deal for his impressive performances.
Gunter made his England Under-19 debut against Germany in September and has started three Premier League 2 games this season, playing up an age group.
The 18-year-old is well-known among Spurs academy watchers and is being tipped to graduate to the first team.
Though, usually goalkeepers take a little longer to settle into senior surroundings, so he may head out on loan next year.
5 Jude Soonsup-Bell English, 19 years old
Jude Soonsup-Bell left Chelsea in January in favour of a move to London rivals Tottenham, rejecting interest from Manchester City in the process.
The young forward was approaching the end of his contract at Cobham and Spurs pounced on the opportunity to land his signature on a free transfer, though, there is a sell-on clause attached.
Soonsup-Bell made his senior debut for Chelsea in a Carabao Cup fixture against Brentford in December 2021, aged just 17 years old.
The England youth international became the first player in 59 years to score four goals in an FA Youth Cup game in November 2020, helping the west Londoners to see off Barnsley.
Now at Spurs, the starlet has continued to fire home the goals having netted eight goals this term.
4 Alfie Devine English, 19 years old
Alfie Devine will be a familiar name to most Spurs fans, having been handed his senior debut in January 2021 at the age of 16 years and 163 days old by Jose Mourinho.
The attacking midfielder became the club's youngster-ever player and goalscorer that evening, powering home a neat finish into the bottom corner to add a fifth goal of the game against non-league Marine in the FA Cup.
Since then, the record-breaking youngster has been a key former in the number 10 role for Spurs' under-21s and is a regular for England at youth level.
Devine travelled to the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina and registered a goal and assist against Uruguay before netting against Italy.
He even trained with Gareth Southgate's squad in September following the withdrawals of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jack Grealish.
The former Wigan youth product is now out on loan with League One outfit Port Vale and should he continue to flourish with the Valiants, 2024 may be his breakout year for Tottenham.
3 Will Lankshear English, 18 years old
Tottenham Hotspur outlaid £2m to sign Sheffield United striker Will Lankshear in 2022 and since arriving in N17, the imposing marksman has netted 13 goals across 23 outings for the academy.
Lankshear's rapid progress earned him an opportunity to play for the senior side during friendly matches post-World Cup and it seemed a competitive debut was imminent.
But the decision was made to fix an issue in his knee and so surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Normal service has resumed this term as he continues to find the net with Spurs and the England under-19s – scoring three goals in three outings for the Three Lions.
2023/24
10
8
2
2022/23
13
5
2
2 Yago Santiago Spanish, 20 years old
Yago Santiago appears to be nearing a first-team debut having been named on the substitutes' bench against the Citizens in early December.
The Spaniard joined the Lilywhites from Celta Vigo in 2019 as a 16-year-old and has quickly advanced through the academy ranks.
Santiago has opened up his Premier League 2 campaign in blistering form this term, scoring six goals and laying on four assists across eight outings, as his side sit at the summit of the table, having won every game.
Spurs: Ange could soon bin Richarlison for exciting academy star
The Lilywhites could find a dream Heung-min Son heir by promoting an exciting academy asset…
ByRobbie WallsSep 7, 2023
The 2003-born left winger signed a new deal in April which runs until 2025, evidencing the faith Tottenham coaches have in his ability.
1 Alfie Dorrington English, 18 years old
Alfie Dorrington celebrated his 18th birthday earlier this year, but is already making noise with the Under-21s, having played a key role with the Under-18s last season, winning a League Cup double.
The towering centre-back appears to have seamlessly transitioned to the Premier League 2, despite being younger than much of the opposition's players.
Journalist Paul O'Keefe took to X (formerly Twitter) last week to praise the England youth international after he was named among the senior side's substitutes for the draw at the Etihad.
"Alfie Dorrington has the potential to go on and be an elite footballer at this level. A deserved appearance on Spurs bench today. We need to take care of this lad and time it right because he’s special."
Ange Postecoglou is well aware of Dorrington's talents and could award the youngster a debut very soon, saying in December: "We've still got a lot of injuries but we've got a lot of games ahead so (Alfie) could get his chance in the weeks ahead.”
