In a week where academies have dominated the headlines following the third round of the FA Cup, Tottenham have been praised for the work that goes into the youth set-up.
Alfie Devine wrote his name in the history books by becoming Spurs’ youngest ever goalscorer against Marine.
In just over a year the club has also seen Japhet Tanganga make his league debut whilst Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Harvey White, and Dane Scarlett have all had cameos in Europe.
Meanwhile, Oliver Skipp is currently enjoying a successful loan spell at Championship leaders, Norwich City. The 20-year-old has featured in every league match so far this season.
Finance expert, Kieran Maguire has now suggested that the success of the North London club’s academy has given them the edge in contrast to their rivals.
In recent years, Spurs have been able to bring through the likes of Harry Kane and Harry Winks into the starting XI rather than spending millions of pounds on alternatives.
Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire stated: “In terms of cost of squads, Manchester City have spent £906m on theirs, Chelsea £870m, Manchester United £851m, and then you drop down to Spurs who have spent £332m.
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“So how are Spurs competing? Their squad is just over a third of the value of some of their competitors. It’s because they’ve been successful in bringing players through. Harry Kane is the preeminent example but they’ve had others as well.
“And being cynical, those players are more likely to sign retention contracts with the club and they’re more likely to settle for a salary slightly lower than they might find elsewhere.
“So if Harry Kane is on £200,000 a week and if Manchester United offer £300,000, he might say ‘Well, I’ve been a Spurs fan all my life and I’ve got a relationship with the club’.
“It’s clear from the way he talks very eloquently and passionately about his affection for the club. So he might say ‘I’m willing to forgo a little bit of money because I’ve been here since I was a kid’.
“That’s an advantage financially because it helps to increase the loyalty between player and club if they’ve been there a long time.
“That can give you a huge boost.”
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