Luka Vuskovic and the 7 Tottenham wonderkids who could flourish under Roberto De Zerbi next season

The new Tottenham boss has a reputation for working with technically gifted young players and he will find some at the north London club

Roberto De Zerbi has declared that whatever happens in the coming seven matches he will be the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur next season and that means opportunities for the club's young players.

Whenever a new manager is appointed it means a fresh set of eyes looking at those young players who come up to train with the first team. Almost every season without fail someone new from the academy or a young recent arrival gets a chance as the new boss wants to show they give a chance to the youth.

Despite all of their injuries to senior players this season, Tottenham have handed out the fifth fewest minutes to academy graduates in the Premier League with just 26. The next team above them are Everton who have dished out 499, while Chelsea and Manchester City have given 5,673 and 5,162 minutes to academy players respectively, discarding any myth that it's not possible at bigger clubs.

Spurs have handed four academy graduates appearances in the Premier League this season, which is among the better numbers in the competition, but it's just been a handful of minutes.

In De Zerbi the north London outfit now have a manager who will not fear throwing in young players if he believes they are good enough and he will be here next season regardless of the league they will play in.

"I signed five years of contract because for me it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what," said the Italian.

So which young players could flourish under De Zerbi next season, regardless of what league Tottenham find themselves in? We're sticking to teenagers here and leaving out first team players like Souza. The age limit means we'll only mention in passing older academy products like Alfie Devine, Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley who could yet catch the eye in pre-season after their loan seasons in the Championship.

Here are the young players who could get their chance in the coming 12 months at Spurs.

Luka Vuskovic

Everyone is talking about Luka Vuskovic across Europe and the young centre-back been linked with the biggest clubs in the world after an eye-catching season at Hamburg in the Bundesliga.

It's crazy to think that Spurs signed the now 19-year-old all the way back in 2023 but the Croatia international is yet to make a competitive first team appearance for the club.

Vuskovic has a contract until 2030 and Tottenham would be utterly stupid to sell him this summer despite the interest. He's got talent in abundance and while his acceleration needs to be worked on - which he is remedying with a specialist trainer - the amount of stars like Luka Modric who have declared just how good he is going to be only shows that Spurs must make him the cornerstone of their defence for the long-term future.

His ability on the ball and his goalscoring prowess at the other end of the pitch should quickly catch the eye of De Zerbi.

If the worst was to happen and Tottenham were to go down then it would probably be worth giving the youngster another loan season either at Hamburg to play with his brother Mario or elsewhere to continue his top flight education.

Mikey Moore

Another player who has flourished out on loan away from the chaos at Tottenham is Mikey Moore. The 18-year-old overcame a tough start to life at Rangers and has adapted to become a fans' favourite amid the pressure and attention of playing for one of the big Glasgow clubs.

Some Tottenham supporters wanted him recalled in the winter window, but he could not have had a better development season in his career with the highs and lows at Ibrox as well as European football.

He has already made 21 appearances for Spurs despite his age, scoring once with two assists, and that was before this big season in Scotland.

Moore has all the tools in his locker to become a star under De Zerbi as he can play either as a winger or a number 10 in the Italian's system and on either flank and this will be a big pre-season for him.

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Luca Williams-Barnett

The one to watch in the academy right now, but 17-year-old Williams-Barnett has missed out in recent weeks through injury at a time when he probably would have got some minutes.

The versatile attacking midfielder can play anywhere up front and has dribbling skills and the ability to finish. He made his Spurs debut in the Carabao Cup this season against Doncaster Rovers with a bright little cameo and has managed 16 goals and eight assists in 19 games around that, mainly while stepping up for the U21s.

He's expected back in full training next week and De Zerbi, former number 10 himself, will get a little look at him ahead of a summer when if Williams-Barnett keeps working hard then he could well head off on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia.

Jun'ai Byfield

Another who has missed out on appearances in recent weeks because of injury but this has been a big breakthrough season for 17-year-old centre-back Jun'ai Byfield.

The England U18 international has made two Champions League appearances, his first a half an hour one against Dortmund, and he was trusted with his Premier League debut in the final minutes of the draw against Manchester City in February. Byfield impressed with his maturity in both games and many inside the club believe he will get further chances to catch the eye in a Spurs shirt.

He is gradually increasing his training load after his absence with the hope that he will also be back in full training next week.

Calum Olusesi

Olusesi, who turned 19 last month, enjoyed a great March as he first got his Premier League debut with a very composed 20 minutes or so at Anfield to help Spurs draw with Liverpool. Then just a few days later that was followed up with his first Champions League appearance against Atletico Madrid with 15 minutes from the bench.

The teenager took full advantage of the absence of fit midfielders to make his mark. The return of many of those senior players means he may not get more opportunities this season but has a chance to stake his claim in the summer if he is not sent out on a loan, which like Moore, could be equally beneficial to his career.

Mason Melia

A player the Spurs fans are yet to see as the club fended off competition from top Premier League and European clubs to agree a deal worth an initial £1.6million with St Patrick's Athletic for the striker in February last year.

Melia, who put pen to paper last year on a long-term contract until 2031, was not allowed by EU law to make the move to the Premier League club until he turned 18, which meant he had to wait until January this year to complete the switch. On top of that, the teenager arrived with a back injury and just as he was set to return he picked up a chest infection that further delayed his attempts to get to work.

Now the teenager is back in full training and with 98 senior matches for St Pat's and a strong physique, he is expected to quickly catch the eye of first team staff.

Tynan Thompson

Another who has struggled with injury in recent weeks but 17-year-old left winger Tynan Thompson is a real livewire. Spurs are hoping to tie up his longer term future at the club but likewise he will also want to get opportunities ahead.

The flying attacker has been on the bench twice in the Champions League and once in the Carabao Cup and has stepped up hugely at youth level with his performances in the UEFA Youth League a particular highlight with seven goals and two assists from Tottenham's seven matches in Europe.

Spurs are always looking for left wingers and they have a talented one coming through in Thompson. Both and he and Moore could be the future for the club down that flank if they both continue their current trajectory.

Others who could shine

Every young player develops in different stages so plenty of other teenagers within the club could catch the eye of De Zerbi either in the coming months or in the summer during pre-season if they get the invite into first team training.

Striker James Wilson arrived from Hearts in the winter window and has already been involved in the first team set-up. Tye Hall has had a big season in midfield captaining the U18s and got the call to join in with England senior training at Wembley last week.

Defender James Rowswell made his Tottenham debut in the final moments of the draw at Anfield and dealt with a last-gasp Liverpool counter-attack well. The talented England U19 international Malachi Hardy is also continuing his development as a centre-back within the club.

Others will step up from the club's U18s next season looking to impress at U21 level and De Zerbi and his staff will be keeping an eye on all of them.