Roberto De Zerbi will have to prove Tottenham Hotspur have turned a new page if he and the club are to keep Luca Williams-Barnett.
Tottenham Hotspur have given their academy players just 1,471 minutes of Premier League action in the last three years, so Roberto De Zerbi will have to pull a finger if he wants to stop interest in Luca Williams-Barnett.
So far this season, the 18-year-old attacking midfielder has made just one appearance for the Lilies, coming off the bench in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Despite impressing in the summer and also featuring against Charlton Athletic at the end of August, the Spurs boss is reluctant to throw Williams-Barnett back into the deep end.
Even with Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhailo Mudryk unavailable for selection, the England Under-19 international, who signed his first professional contract with Tottenham last year, has barely looked.
De Zerbi has given Williams-Barnett a chance, handing him his first senior appearance since September 2025, but the teenager cannot afford to follow in the footsteps of the academy graduates before him.
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According to reports from PA, as quoted by the BBC, Sussex World and Football365, the Lilywhites spent a total of 1,471 minutes on academy players in the Premier League from 2023/24 to 2025/26, with Oliver Skipp accounting for 723 minutes.
Compared to the 16 other clubs that have remained in England’s top flight over all three seasons, Spurs have the 14th fewest minutes played by academy players. Only Bournemouth (1,135 minutes), Everton (897 minutes) and Brentford (128 minutes) played fewer academy players.
Meanwhile, Liverpool (20,025 minutes), Chelsea (18,990 minutes) and Manchester United (16,876 minutes) lead the way in the Premier League. If Tottenham are to keep players like Williams-Barnett, let them flourish and fulfill their potential, De Zerbi must prove that he and the club have turned a new page.
Milli.Az reports with reference to The Sun that “Chelsea” and “Manchester United”, as well as “Bayern” and “Borussia Dortmund” closely followed the teenager. The report claims that Spurs are looking to sign Williams-Barnett, whose current contract expires in June 2028, on a new deal.
It remains to be seen whether any of the European giants are genuinely interested in the Tottenham wonderkid, who De Zerbi previously described as a “precious diamond”.
“We have to manage him like a precious diamond. We have to help him improve in the final decision,” the Italian said after winning a pre-season friendly against Sydney in July.
“Physically, work harder to be stronger because in this football he has to be strong and give him space when the moment is right. I usually give time to all the young players I work with in my career and he is a potentially special player.”
Ben Davies, meanwhile, said: “He’s a really top-class player. He’s got a lot of potential. I think you can see the quality he’s got. I think the next step now is to develop his game habits.
“But to have a player who has no fear, who has the confidence to try everything in games, who doesn’t get affected if he loses the ball, I think he has a bright future ahead of him.”