Roberto De Zerbi will have to give youngsters a proper chance if Tottenham want to keep hold of Luca Williams-Barnett, because the club’s record with academy players over the last three years is poor. Across the three Premier League seasons from 2023/24 to 2025/26, Spurs handed just 1,471 minutes to homegrown talents.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has made only one appearance this season, a cameo off the bench in the second round of the Carabao Cup. He impressed over the summer and held his own against Charlton Athletic at the end of August, yet De Zerbi has been slow to trust him again. That’s despite Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhailo Mudryk all being unavailable. The England Under-19 international signed his first professional deal last year and got his first senior outing since September 2025 this term, but he has barely been involved otherwise.
Williams-Barnett risks ending up like earlier academy graduates who got only scraps of playing time. PA data, reported by the BBC, Sussex World and Football365, shows Oliver Skipp made up 723 of those 1,471 minutes. Of the 17 clubs that stayed in the top flight for all three seasons, Spurs rank 14th for academy minutes. Only Bournemouth with 1,135, Everton with 897 and Brentford with 128 gave fewer.
At the other end, Liverpool lead with 20,025 minutes, followed by Chelsea on 18,990 and Manchester United on 16,876. If Tottenham want to keep Williams-Barnett and let him fulfil his potential, De Zerbi and the club must show they’ve changed their approach.
The Sun reports that Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are all keeping tabs on the teenager. Spurs are said to want him on a new contract, with his current deal running until June 2028. It’s unclear whether any of those big clubs are genuinely set to make a move.
De Zerbi has previously called him a “precious diamond” who must be handled carefully, saying in July that he needs to get stronger, improve his final decisions and be given space at the right moments. The manager added that he always gives young players time and sees real special potential in him. Ben Davies also praised the youngster’s quality, fearlessness and confidence on the ball, saying the next step is improving his habits in games, and predicted a bright future for him.
