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Luca Williams-Barnett

Hopefully he will start against Charlton on 26 Aug and show everyone that he deserves to be around the 1st team squad. I think he's already good enough to be a bench option for premier league games

I think it will be a great route for him, hopefully there are plenty of decent environments to bring him on when we are leading well etc.
 
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I think I'd start him - or Moore - in the 10 role on Saturday. Gallagher is not a 10, and the more chances he gets there the more obvious that becomes. If we don't give a young player a start in their best position when there's no fit alternative, when do we take that risk? He is clearly a rare talent. Play him.
Start with Gallagher, and bring on LWB when the oppo tires?
 
Feel free to call me nuts, but I actually think LWB is already ahead of Moore in terms of his development, and I actually think this kid has the potential to be even better than Kane.

You hear me write a lot about the last mile of these youngsters. I think fans focus way too much on the middle parts of their journeys and over obsess on that piece. Then when they're in the last mile, they have to become a top 6 PL player and most of them fail to make that toughest transition. That disenfranchises the fans.

Spurs end up with a fair few Adam Smith's to be fair. He started with us and had a fantastic career spending a fair few seasons in the top flight. I'm expecting that to the way it goes for Ash Phillips. Would I be surprised to see him get an international cap at some point? Not at all. Then we have the next tier of players like Mason, Winks and Townsend who have some relevance to the first team squad but het shifted eventually for not being good enough. That's OK. All England players in their time.

So where are we with Luca and Mikey? My instinct follows yours actually. If I had to bet my own money on one of them making the last mile and being a true 1st teamer it would be Luca. It's too early to tell yet though. It's just an instinct.
 
You hear me write a lot about the last mile of these youngsters. I think fans focus way too much on the middle parts of their journeys and over obsess on that piece. Then when they're in the last mile, they have to become a top 6 PL player and most of them fail to make that toughest transition. That disenfranchises the fans.

Spurs end up with a fair few Adam Smith's to be fair. He started with us and had a fantastic career spending a fair few seasons in the top flight. I'm expecting that to the way it goes for Ash Phillips. Would I be surprised to see him get an international cap at some point? Not at all. Then we have the next tier of players like Mason, Winks and Townsend who have some relevance to the first team squad but het shifted eventually for not being good enough. That's OK. All England players in their time.

So where are we with Luca and Mikey? My instinct follows yours actually. If I had to bet my own money on one of them making the last mile and being a true 1st teamer it would be Luca. It's too early to tell yet though. It's just an instinct.

I agree re youngster development, our Academy doesn't get as much recognition because the King & Kane types have been far apart (as you expect for generational talents), but they are lots of lower PL, Championship level (or more recently European leagues) players churned out.

One thing LWB has over Moore, Donley, Lankshear, Scarlett is pace. and in the modern game, and in your development, pace can cover a lot of sins (while the rest of your game catches up)

I'd like us to prioritize developing 1-2 youngsters, in that model, my current bet would be loan Moore out again (still a player there), focus this season on Gray, Bergvall and LWB
 
I agree re youngster development, our Academy doesn't get as much recognition because the King & Kane types have been far apart (as you expect for generational talents), but they are lots of lower PL, Championship level (or more recently European leagues) players churned out.

One thing LWB has over Moore, Donley, Lankshear, Scarlett is pace. and in the modern game, and in your development, pace can cover a lot of sins (while the rest of your game catches up)

I'd like us to prioritize developing 1-2 youngsters, in that model, my current bet would be loan Moore out again (still a player there), focus this season on Gray, Bergvall and LWB

I probably need to watch more of Bergval. I don't see the same potential as the other 2.

Byfield is another that interests me though.
 
I agree re youngster development, our Academy doesn't get as much recognition because the King & Kane types have been far apart (as you expect for generational talents), but they are lots of lower PL, Championship level (or more recently European leagues) players churned out.

One thing LWB has over Moore, Donley, Lankshear, Scarlett is pace. and in the modern game, and in your development, pace can cover a lot of sins (while the rest of your game catches up)

I'd like us to prioritize developing 1-2 youngsters, in that model, my current bet would be loan Moore out again (still a player there), focus this season on Gray, Bergvall and LWB
I think he has more than pace. His ability to instantly bring a ball under control is outstanding and his dribbling is magical... I am not one for going overboard on a youngster (I will leave that for @Gutter Boy :D) but this kid excites me. I mentioned it earlier, but there are players where you immediately see them as potential superstars of the future... Luca had that impression on me.
 
I probably need to watch more of Bergval. I don't see the same potential as the other 2.

Byfield is another that interests me though.

Tangent conversation but my perspective

- Bergvall has looked good at the top level (even more so in last Ange season), he has energy, brave, can carry the ball, believe has the ability to add a consistent goal threat to his game. The issues with his game (decision making mostly, when/where he takes risks) can be coached, he's already shown an adaptation in strength, and is one of the few (of all our players) consistently linked with interest from other PL clubs
- Gray I actually worry about, real danger of good utility player, not great at any specific role. Hope for us/him we can sort that out.
- I'd actually rate Hardy was the one that interested me out of preseason other than LWB, a comfortable 18 year old CB is rare, didn't see any obvious flaws to his game.
- Byfield and a couple others looked decent
 
Well I get that, I was referring to the pressure being put on a 17yr old to start.

I know it was only a pre-season friendly but our left side of Souza and LWB wasn't exactly that solid yesterday. Nor was the Hall / Ajayi side come to think of it. There is another big reason the senior guys get the shirt right?
 
I know it was only a pre-season friendly but our left side of Souza and LWB wasn't exactly that solid yesterday. Nor was the Hall / Ajayi side come to think of it. There is another big reason the senior guys get the shirt right?

To be fair, different thing of fitting one youngster into a side, vs. having 4 or 5 of them, and a side that is unbalanced from start. Yesterday would be hard to judge.
 
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