Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Tue 28 April 2026 10:00, UK

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Luca Williams-Barnett will hope to take advantage of Xavi Simons’ heartbreaking injury in Tottenham Hotspur‘s final games of the season.

The 17-year-old gem has been working closely with the first team in 2025-26, even being handed his debut against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup back in September.

Since then, the attacking midfielder has appeared on the senior team’s bench 11 times, most recently for the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby, and he must have caught Roberto De Zerbi’s eye.

With Simons now sidelined until next season, even missing the 2026 World Cup due to an ACL injury, the manager needs players stepping up, especially ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Aston Villa this weekend.

Luca Williams-Barnett has shown incredible promise at Tottenham

Spurs have four finals ahead of them – Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton. Their only chance of securing survival is taking West Ham’s 18th-place position in the table.

It does not appear that Leeds or Nottingham Forest will be dropping down any further, but with some huge games ahead of them, the Lilywhites can’t be looking anywhere else but at themselves.

De Zerbi has no problem trusting the younger players in the squad, and given Williams-Barnett’s involvement with the senior team this season, he should be next to step up and be given a chance.

The attacking midfielder, at just 17 years of age, has six goals and five assists in the Premier League 2 this season, with another seven goals and two assists in the UEFA Youth League with the Under-19s.

It has been a truly incredible campaign for the youngster, who is edging closer and closer to a regular spot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he can be the biggest positive from Simons’ injury.

Who else could make the step up under Roberto De Zerbi?

While De Zerbi was not yet at the club, Williams-Barnett’s stocks should have shot through the roof when he netted five goals in a single UEFA Youth League game against Slavia Prague in December.

However, he’s not the only talent expressing themselves in the youth divisions, and his become clear that loanee James Wilson should play a role for Tottenham in the final few games.

The 19-year-old is starring in the Premier League 2, boasting four goals and one assist in nine matches, netting in back-to-back games against West Ham and Wolves at the start of April.

Callum Olusesi and Junai Byfield have both shown promise in the academy, but given the circumstances, De Zerbi must be careful about when he throws the youngsters into the lineup.