Just over seven years ago, Tottenham Hotspur signed Dele Alli from boyhood club MK Dons in the final hours of a mid-season transfer window. At an initial fee of £5million, Alli was definitely a risk for a club to expect big things from him – by then he had played most of his professional minutes in League One, the domestic league third tier from England. Voted Young Player of the Year that season, Dele began his career with Spurs in 2015-16 after completing the remainder of his 2014-15 season on loan with the Dons.
Almost immediately, it became clear that Spurs had generational talent on their hands. And unlike other big clubs, who were cutting and changing their squads and spending huge sums in the process, Spurs used Dele from the start, a choice that catapulted them into the ranks of the Premier League elite under Mauricio Pochettino. . Turning to the Football League in England, Spurs have improved tremendously and have done so for almost nothing. It wasn’t Liverpool, who shelled out a huge transfer fee for Luis Suárez, or Manchester United, who spent big on a player who failed in England in Ángel Di María. Five million pounds!
Of course, it’s unfair to expect big things from all budding talent in England, but Dele’s case proves there are diamonds in the rough in England’s lower leagues. The end of Dele’s stay in north London was obviously not what many expected after the player won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2017. But these questions are a story for another time.
Despite the success of the Dele deal, as we look back on Spurs’ past over the past few seasons, they have (surprisingly) moved away from pursuing these types of deals. I guess you could argue for Ryan Sessegnon, but the ex-Fulham man played in the Premier League before joining Spurs. The English Football League offers plenty of opportunities for top clubs to attract top talent. From competitions such as the League Cup and FA Cup to each club’s respective scouting network, every partially notable player in the country could and should be discovered and amplified. Despite this, not all the stones are returned. And for a club like Spurs, who as we know don’t have the financial wherewithal to compete with the English top flight, this is an area they need to exploit.
Given the global climate of recent years, many lower league clubs have struggled and looked set to hand over some of their best assets in return for a quick injection of cash. Spurs’ finances are actually in a fairly secure position compared to almost any club in England, largely due to the start of revenue from their stadiums, which includes many events (boxing, NFL games, concerts , etc.) on the horizon.
Spurs have spent a large part of their transfer budget in recent seasons away from home. From big buys such as Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso to even smaller, model deals like Sergio Reguilón and Pape Matar Sarr, there has been no focus on finding players in the country. I understand it’s hard to judge Spurs based on the variety of issues/challenges within the club and the situations they’ve found themselves in over the past few years with multiple managers, but it’s also hard to give the club a passes in areas such as these they could earn, although this is a long-term goal.
Despite their problems in recent seasons, the club have been spraying cash in hopes of solving their problems. It did not work. Ironically, Spurs and Antonio Conte still find themselves relying on players who were brought in years ago under Pochettino. Rather than shelling out money for players looking to put band-aids on injuries, it might behoove Spurs to focus more on players in England’s lower leagues. This article serves as a sister article to one I wrote regarding the club’s management of its youth academy and the problems encountered in recent seasons.
Following Dele’s success, various clubs followed similar patterns and looked to the EFL for untapped talent. Let’s take a look at some of the most significant:
- Jarrod Bowen, West Ham: One of the league’s most underrated talents, Bowen is a nuisance on either side of the attack and exhibits good playing and finishing skills. Although linked with a move to the Premier League for years, he moved to West Ham from Hull City after more than 100 Championship caps.
- Andrew Robertson, Liverpool: Robertson had two seasons in the Premier League for that same poor Hull side, but he developed into one of the best left-backs in the world with better talent in front and around him.
- Michail Antonio, West Ham: Before becoming a force for West Ham, Antonio spent years with the EFL in a number of positions. He notably played for non-league Tooting & Mitcham and had a multitude of loans before moving to Hammers.
- Michael Olise, Crystal Palace: A player to watch in the future, Olise is a dynamic passer who can play in a variety of roles. Although he won the Young Player of the Year award in 2021, it was Palace who activated his release clause.
- Tyrone Mings, AstonVilla: It was at Bournemouth that Mings first broke into a Premier League side, but he spent the early days of his career with Chippenham Town and Ipswich Town.
- James Tarkowski, Burnley: Before blossoming with Sean Dyche at Burnley, Tarkowski rose through the ranks in English footballing circles at the little-known Oldham Athletic.
The examples are everywhere across the Premier League. So many players have reached England’s top flight via unorthodox routes. It’s not talked about as much, but exploiting the EFL provides the opportunities (from the facilities of the biggest clubs in terms of competition and atmosphere) that many of these lesser-known talents need to make it to the big leagues. next step in their career. In fact, it’s sort of a fundamental malpractice of team building to neglect the English Football League and only pursue overseas goals. In the next few days, I plan to write about 10 lower league talents I’ve had my eye on that Spurs should be interested in.
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