Tottenham have made ‘mistake’ as 'Luca Williams-Barnett and his family' left ‘upset’
Tottenham Hotspur need to give youngster Luca Williams-Barnett more senior involvement in the coming weeks after he featured heavily in the summer.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Lilywhites are at serious risk of angering the 18-year-old.
The young attacking midfielder played over 160 minutes with the first team in pre-season, but has since been limited to just a cameo appearance in the Carabao Cup, which Spurs are now out of.
Wyness believes that the North London outfit have made a “classic mistake” by showing the pathway to first-team football for Williams-Barnett, but then not actually acting on it.
The starlet is widely regarded as one of Tottenham’s brightest academy prospects in recent years, but he is finding it hard to break into Roberto De Zerbi’s plans.
There has been speculation surrounding a potential loan move for Williams-Barnett ahead of the January window, while Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are even interested in a permanent deal.
Tottenham may upset Williams-Barnett’s agent
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Tottenham are at risk of “upsetting” Williams-Barnett’s agent if he does not get more senior exposure.
Manchester United have encountered difficulties with young starlet JJ Gabriel asking to leave, and that has served as a reminder as to what can happen if academy talents feel that their pathway is blocked.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness highlighted why Spurs must be careful with Williams-Barnett in the coming months.
“He did actually have quite a bit of exposure in pre-season, and he's only had the one cup game,” he said.
“That is the classic mistake to make, in my view, of giving the player exposure, putting him in the shop window and then putting him on the shelf. That’s where I'd understand if his family and his agent are upset about such an issue like that.
“Now we've talked about (Max) Dowman and Gabriel. There's a case there where Arsenal showed Dowman a pathway, and he accepted it, and he's been treated well, and it's worked.
“United haven't given that pathway for all sorts of reasons because they haven't had stability themselves behind the scenes.”
EFL clubs queuing up for Williams-Barnett loan
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Tottenham will consider letting Williams-Barnett head out on loan when the January transfer window opens.
The Lilywhites are keen to ensure the young talent gains regular exposure to senior football, and they could sanction an exit in the second half of the season.
Sources say that a whole host of EFL clubs are ready to jump at the chance to take Williams-Barnett on loan, and give him the platform to impress at a lower level.
The youngster would have hoped to get his first taste of Premier League action, but that hasn’t happened for him so far this term.