Should Spurs give teenage sensation Luca Williams-Barnett his first start against Leeds?

Luca Williams-Barnett wasted no time making his mark after finally getting his Premier League debut for Tottenham at the weekend.

It took 11 matchday squads to get there, having been an unused substitute in the previous 10, but the talented teenager finally got his chance in the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace. He first made a senior matchday squad aged 16 under Ange Postecoglou in 2024-25, and after appearances in the Carabao Cup last season and again in August, Roberto De Zerbi brought him on with only minutes remaining on Saturday night.

Though the 18-year-old was on the pitch for barely five minutes, it was long enough to show why plenty of people at the north London club have tipped him for stardom for some time. His first touch, controlling a cross-field ball perfectly, got the crowd excited, and a twisting run moments later hinted at what he can do.

He left Palace defender Anan Khalaili on the floor, raced beyond him and Dario Osorio, and delivered a cross for Mohammed Kudus, who somehow failed to score from an open goal. Williams-Barnett wasn’t fazed, turning to the South Stand supporters and urging them to get louder. A second, similar run also came to nothing, but it drew applause from De Zerbi on the touchline.

It was a week in which Harry Kane, another Tottenham academy product, won the Ballon d’Or, and fans may now have another homegrown player to serenade with “one of our own”. De Zerbi felt the timing was right for the youngster’s first Premier League game, and described him as a huge talent, very young but already special.

Spurs have now won three league games on the bounce, having also beaten Coventry and Chelsea to move up the table. Next comes a difficult trip to Leeds United this weekend, where Williams-Barnett could well get another opportunity to impress.