Without a doubt, Tottenham Hotspur have one of the best academies in the entire Premier League, and although the first team may be struggling at the moment, the future at N17 looks bright.
One of the players who has caught the eye of the fans has been the midfielder Nile John, who is currently taking part of the Spurs first team pre-season.
Debut
The 18 year-old put on a show in the Spurs first pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient, showcasing his talent for a little over 60 minutes of play.
Last season, John made his first team debut coming on as a substitute in the 2021 UEFA Europa League game against Wolfsberger, which ended up in a 4–0 win for Spurs.
The London native, who signed his first contract with Tottenham in 2016 after spending time with FC Brentford, was also named as the team's scholar of the year last season, award given yearly to the most outstanding youth player on and off the pitch.
He competed in a total of 26 academy games last season, including fixtures in the Premier League 2, U-18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup.
Future
John, along with 17 year-old Dane Scarlett, are considered to be the future of Tottenham Hotspur.
Following the Spurs pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient, which concluded on a 1-1 draw, veteran goalkeeper Joe Hart highlighted the performance from both.
"There is a real solid core coming through at Spurs. Dane Scarlett is a star and so is Nile John," he said. ''There's a super talent in Dane, and Nile is also impressing.''
It will be interesting to see on whether or not Spurs decide to send John on loan for the 2021 / 22 campaign in order to get some consistent first team minutes.
In case he stays at North London, the 18 year-old could potentially see some first team action while playing in the UEFA Conference League group stage.
Spurs are expected to compete against teams like LASK, Rubin Kazan, Anderlecht and Vitesse in the early stage of in the inaugural European competition.