Tottenham Hotspur have a stock of incredibly talented young players coming up through their ranks right now. Here’s how they fared across their loan spells across the football leagues.
16. Kota Takai to Hamburger SV
Kota Takai has the unfortunate displeasure of opening this list as the Tottenham Hotspur player with the worst loan of the season. Arriving from Japan in the summer of 2025, Takai was a much hyped young centre-back with the thought that he could make a first-team impact. But Takai developed plantar fasciitis in the early stages of the season, which meant he made only one matchday squad before being shipped out on loan to Bundesliga’s Hamburger SV in January. Since then, Takai has only played 339 minutes across 8 appearances and has put in poorly rated performances in all three of his starts for the German club. It’s only natural that a teenager 10.000 kilometres from home takes some time to adjust to new playing conditions, but Kota Takai clearly still has some adjusting to do and likely needs another loan next season before we see him get his first Tottenham minutes.
15. Yang Min-Hyeok to Portsmouth and Coventry City
If one were only to consider the first half of this season, Min-Hyeok Yang would certainly be higher up this list. His first half of the season loan spell at Portsmouth was a fairly successful one, scoring three goals and assisting one, in 15 appearances. The club clearly had a lot of faith in Yang to make the step up as for the second half of the season, he was placed into championship-contending Coventry City. And sadly, there is no positive way to spin Yang’s spell at Coventry. The South Korean winger was effectively frozen out of the squad after making 3 off the bench early on. Yang has shown flashes of brilliance and still has bundles of potential to break through as a first-team player, but he’ll likely have to prove it on another loan spell because this one didn’t move him forward very much.
14. Alejo Veliz to Rosario Central
Unfortunately, it looks like the Alejo Veliz experiment at Tottenham Hotspur is all but over. Following loans to Sevilla and Espanyol, his loan back to his Argentine home club Rosario Central before the start of this season makes it unlikely Veliz will ever wear a Tottenham shirt again. He is contracted to Tottenham until 2029, but the club are unlikely to recoup their initial 13 million investment.
13. George Abbott to Wycombe Wanderers and Mansfield Town
With the talent available to George Abbott, he really should be higher up on this list. But George Abbott had to navigate the heaps of natural ability he has, all while dealing with one injury setback after another. His incredibly promising loan to Wycombe Wanderers was cut short by a quad injury, which resurfaced again after joining League One’s Mansfield Town in February, meaning that Abbott had very limited game time all season long.
12. Manor Solomon to Villareal and Fiorentina
Manor Solomon is one of those players who, come the end of the season, still have a chance to get a look in from whoever is in the Spurs dugout, especially in the scenario if Tottenham fail to avoid relegation. Solomon has had 2 loans where he performed adequately, at Villareal and at Fabio Paratici’s Fiorentina, and while he probably isn’t of the quality required to start for Tottenham in the Premier League, they are sure to make a profit on Solomon if any sale is sanctioned.
11. Alfie Dorrington to Salford City
Alfie Dorrington is one of the few remaining Tottenham loanees whose seasons still aren’t over. After spending a year on loan at Aberdeen, Dorrington moved to League Two’s Salford and helped them secure a promotion play-off spot. Dorrington made the first XI five times for Salford and came off the bench another five times. With Salford in the promotion play-off final, Alfie has a chance to secure a second trophy in two years after winning the Scottish FA Cup with Aberdeen last year. While Dorrington probably isn’t of the quality necessary to play for Spurs in the long-term, he’s our academy graduate, and any eventual sale can be marked as pure profit in the PSR books.
10. Dane Scarlett to Hibernian
Dane Scarlett is another one of those players who’ve enjoyed a more-or-less positive loan that probably hasn’t moved the needle in terms of becoming an established first-team player at Tottenham. Scarlett’s loan to the Scottish Premiership saw him make 6 starts in 13 appearances, most recently scoring the winning goal against Mikey Moore’s Rangers. But the 22-year-old probably has his last chance to impress over the summer if Tottenham remain in the Premier League. The picture looks completely different if Spurs are relegated. Dane is an academy player with Championship experience, and his services could still be called upon if Tottenham make the drop.
9. Damola Ajayi to Doncaster Rovers and Bromley
Damola Ajayi, who already wrote his name in the Tottenham history books by being one of the three academy youngsters scoring a goal during last season’s Europa League match against Elfsborg, had one of the more baffling seasons as far as Tottenham loanees go. Despite a fairly successful first half of the season spell with Doncaster in League One, with 2 goals in 19 appearances, Ajayi actually made a step down to League Two’s Bromley, where the young midfielder struggled for consistent minutes, only playing 360 of them across 11 appearances. Damola Ajayi surely gained valuable experience from his loans, but will likely have to prove himself elsewhere next season.
8. Oliver Irow to Mansfield Town
Oliver Irow’s impressive season with Tottenham’s U19 and U21 teams earned him a first move to senior football. The 20-year-old winger got some good minutes under his belt at Mansfield, scoring 4 goals in 17 appearances. His efforts helped secure a historic 10th-place finish for Mansfield, and the loan spell without a doubt is a great first step in a blossoming career.
7. Yusuf Akhamrich to Bristol Rovers
Yusuf Akhamrich had a truly breakout first half of the season with Tottenham’s U21, establishing himself as one of the more exciting academy prospects, which got him his first chance at senior football via a loan to League Two Bristol Rovers. The winger played consistently across Bristol’s remaining season, chipping in with 6 goals and one assist across 19 appearances. His solid season will, without a doubt, earn a loan to a club higher in the football pyramid, where hopefully he can continue his development.
6. Ashley Philips to Stoke City
Ashley Philips managed to complete his second full-season loan to Stoke City, establishing himself as a competent Championship defender with more than 3000 minutes across 40 appearances over the course of this campaign. Although Stoke themselves played a decidedly average season, finishing in 17th place, Ashley Philips really came into his own and was rewarded for his efforts with a Championship Young Player of the Year nomination. If Tottenham were to be relegated, Philips would certainly be one of those players Spurs could start building around in the long term.
5. Jamie Donley to Stoke City and Oxford United
Jamie Donley had an important season for his senior career, which could have been even better if not for his injury issues. Despite getting relatively little gametime during his time at Stoke, he showed glimpses of a truly great attacking player at Oxford, especially when linking up with his ex-academy teammate Will Lankshear. Donley, of course, also made his international debut for Northern Ireland, featuring in four World Cup qualifiers and scoring a goal in one of them. If Tottenham can secure another Championship loan for Donley, we could hopefully see him involved with the first team soon.
4. Alfie Devine to Preston North End
Alfie Devine simply refuses to do anything but thrive in men’s football. The 21-year-old midfielder recorded 8 goals, 6 assists, and 36 starts in 45 appearances. Alfie seems to be comfortable at every level of football he’s had to play in so far, from his spell in the Belgian league to now in the Championship. The 4.5 million buy option Preston secured in the loan agreement with Tottenham seems like an absolute steal right now, and reports emerged that Preston are in fact trying to agree a payment structure with Spurs that would allow Preston to complete their biggest ever transfer. Honestly, Alfie Devine should probably look to step up from the Championship and hope for a loan move to one of the Premier League clubs. At times this season, Alfie Devine would’ve walked into the Spurs midfield, and losing as talented a player for a fee this small would be a big blow.
3. Will Lankshear to Oxford United
Will Lankshear is another player whose loan spell showed that they’re ready to take the next decisive steps in their professional football careers. Will completed a season-long loan to Oxford United, and even though Oxford didn’t manage to avoid relegation from the Championship, Lankshear continued to prove his mettle by scoring 11 goals and 2 assists across 44 appearances this season. Consistent game time for a top Championship side or a lower Premier League side is the next natural step for the development of the young striker.
2. Mikey Moore to Rangers
It’s fair to say Spurs fans had high expectations of Mikey Moore ever since he broke through at Tottenham in the 23/24 season. His first loan move was supposed to put the teenager in a challenging environment and perhaps even temper some unrealistic expectations. After all, a step-up from U21 football to playing for one of the Old Firm clubs in Scotland is a fairly steep one. But if anything, the expectations are even higher now because Mikey Moore passed the test with flying colours, especially with how difficult his first few months at Ibrox had been. Under Russel Martin, Mikey had limited playing time and was often forced to play in positions he wasn’t used to.
A few poor performances early on, coupled with how generally poor Rangers were under Martin, meant that Mikey Moore had to endure a very tough first 3 months in Glasgow. But Mikey bode his time and was eventually rewarded when arriving manager Danny Rohl started playing him in his preferred position on the right wing. Since then, Mikey Moore put in a stunner of a season with 7 goals and three assists on top of consistently good performances, won the Scottish Premiership’s Young Player of the Season Award, and became a much-loved figure around the Ibrox. Hopefully, his time with Rangers will be enough to start getting consistent minutes at Tottenham, and we should all expect Mikey to be involved in the first team come next season.
1.Luka Vuskovic to Hamburger SV
During his time with Hamburg, Luka Vuskovic quickly went from a relatively unknown but talented young defender to one of the most in-demand centre-back prospects in European football. Probably not in the wildest of dreams did Tottenham expect Vuskovic to finish his season as a world-class talent of the highest calibre.
From reports of immediately becoming a leader and important voice in the Hamburg dressing room, through multiple Rookie of the Month awards, to being in contention for the Bundesliga’s Young Player of the Year award, all justified by a truly incredible season on the pitch, which helped the newly promoted Hamburger to secure a 14th-place finish in the league.
Vuskovic has all the right attributes to be an elite defender, and he more than makes up for his relative lack of pace with his expert anticipation, physicality, ability in the box, and even an eye for a spectacular finish.
Hamburger SV now officially confirmed that Vuskovic will be coming back to Tottenham on the 1st of July, and the North London club must now do everything they can to realise the potential of the absolute specimen that is Luka Vuskovic.
- READ MORE: Supercomputer reveals new Tottenham survival odds and predicted points after West Ham defeat