With Spurs yesterday announcing the squad list of the Spurs players who have been included in the first team squad for their pre-season tour of 2023, I thought that I would write a piece on the Spurs Academy players who have been included in Ange Postecoglou’s squad. I haven’t included Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp in this piece, as they have already played a lot for the Spurs first team. Troy Parrott unfortunately missed out on the tour because of injury. The tour begins in Australia and ends in Singapore, via a trip to Thailand for a match with Leicester City. However, in this short piece I will write a short piece on each of the following Spurs Academy players/graduates who have been included in the squad. I wish them all the very best, and hope that they all get some game time over the course of the three friendly matches.

The players:

Brandon Austin: 24 year old Spurs goalkeeper and Academy graduate Brandon Austin is a player who has been around the Spurs first team for a good number of seasons, despite going out on a couple of loan moves during this time. However, the player who featured for the Spurs first team during some friendly matches last season for Spurs, actually might not be a goalkeeper that Spurs fans know a lot about. Brandon is one of the best shot-stoppers that I have ever seen at Academy level. With great reflexes, Austin has a lot of experience from playing for Spurs at Under 18 and 21 level in the past, where he really impressed. Often featuring on the bench for the Spurs first team over the last couple of seasons without featuring for them in a competitive match, Brandon is a goalkeeper who also commands his penalty area really well, and who is very vocal on the pitch. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Brandon get a good amount of minutes for Spurs on this first team pre-season tour.

Alfie Whiteman: Like Brandon Austin, goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman is also 24, and has been part of the Spurs first team set-up for a good while. Alfie is another very good young goalkeeper who has progressed through the Spurs Academy, and he is a solid all-round goalkeeper with impressive reflexes. He is confident out on the pitch, and like Brandon, Alfie has also gained experience out on loan. Hopefully Alfie will also get some minutes for Spurs’ first team during this pre-season tour. He is a former England youth international, and a goalkeeper who has real quality to his game, and he has impressed for Spurs’ first team in pre-season before.

Josh Keeley: The 20 year old goalkeeper and Republic of Ireland Under 21 international was the first choice goalkeeper for Spurs’ Under 21 side last season, in his debut season for Spurs. Keeley impressed with his distribution and reflexes last season, certainly not lacking in confidence on the pitch for the Spurs Development side in 2022/23. Despite being younger than both Alfie Whiteman and Brandon Austin, Josh Keeley is also very vocal on the pitch, and he also traveled with the Spurs first team to their pre-season tour last season.

Harvey White: A midfield player who I’m really hoping to see get a good amount of game time for the Spurs first team this pre-season, 21 year old Spurs Academy graduate Harvey White is a player who has real quality with the ball. Harvey spent the second half of last season in League One with Derby County, after having made his Premier League debut for Spurs shortly before joining them. With a great left foot and vision for a forward pass, Harvey used to play in the CAM position before moving to central midfield for Spurs at academy level. A set-piece specialist who works really well off the ball, Harvey is tenacious, but his ability on the ball to influence a game has been demonstrated many a time for Spurs at Academy level. A standout member of a very talented Spurs Academy age group, the versatile midfield player will be eager to impress Ange Postecoglou this pre-season.

Alfie Devine: Former Wigan Athletic Academy player Alfie Devine has done really well since joining Spurs as a first year scholar in 2020. Already having featured for the Spurs first team and scoring for them, Alfie as a CAM is someone who is able to create really good pockets of space for himself in and around the penalty area. He is a really good finisher, who regardless of where he plays in midfield, is very good at carrying the ball long distances with both skill and pace. He has all of the attributes to have a great career in the game, and the England Under 20 international is a player who I wouldn’t be surprised to see go out on loan from Spurs at some point this season. However, during his time with the Spurs first team this pre-season, Alfie Devine will be hoping to make a real impression in matches, such is the quality that he has with the ball.

Dane Scarlett: 19 year old centre-forward Dane Scarlett spent last season out on loan with League One side Portsmouth. Scarlett is a really good finisher inside the penalty area, and he is also very good in the air, with good movement off the ball. Dane would have gained a lot of experience from playing regular first team football with Portsmouth last season, and the player who has already featured for the Spurs first team in the past, is a player who can also play out wide on the flanks, but I still think that his best position is at centre-forward. Dane was in excellent form for the Spurs Under 18 side during the 2020/21 season, before stepping up quite regularly to the Spurs Under 21 side during the following season.