Tottenham’s final solution to winger injury crisis comes in the form of Tynan Thompson

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This weekend had Spurs reeling again when two of their highest-profile players went down seriously injured. The attacking options are short, but Roberto De Zerbi could find his solution in a place his Tottenham predecessors didn’t think to look – Tynan Thompson.

It has now been confirmed that Xavi Simons‘ season is over. The ACL rupture he suffered in Spurs’ 1-0 win over Wolves last Saturday means that he likely won’t play a game again this season. Dominic Solanke is also out for an indeterminate amount of time. 

With Spurs’ attacking options gutted by six injuries to first team players, the situation quickly went from bad to absolutely dire for Roberto De Zerbi and if Tottenham are to survive relegation, solutions will have to be found.

De Zerbi still has one potential solution which his predecessors this season were reticent to look to, mainly, the many young talents currently at Spurs’ academy.

Hotspur Way academy to the rescue?

Spurs have, without a doubt, one of the strongest youth teams in the Premier League. Their U21 team had been the league winners in the 23/24 season, and the academy had been carefully assembling a mass of youth talent for the past few years.

Luca Williams-Barnett, Jun’ai Byfield, Callum Olusesi, have all become recognisable thanks to their first team involvements in this season. And although Tynan Thompson is yet to make a first time appearance, needs must at Tottenham right now and lack of winger options, as well as Thompson’s incredible talent, could hand him his first start for Spurs.

Tynan Thompson perfectly fits into the current Tottenham set-up

It’s not the first time this season that Spurs’ lack of options on the wing forces them to look for different solutions. Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor had both at some points (and with limited success) employed fullbacks in winger positions, notably Pedro Porro or the Brazilian youngster Souza. Even Djed Spence played left-wing in the Champions League.

But neither Souza nor Porro, nor in all honesty Randal Kolo Muani or Mathys Tel, who have been used in winger roles extensively this season, fit the profile of a true winger.

Tynan Thompson on the other hand has all the qualities of a winger and despite his lack of experience he would certainly be a more effective fit than Spurs’ available senior options.

Thompson excels at 1v1s, stands out for his athleticism, physicality and creativity, and his 13-goal tally is nothing to scoff at, even at youth level. This makes him a potential candidate to positively impact Spurs’ squad in this crucial Premier League survival run-in.

For too long this season, Tottenham have shoehorned square pegs into round holes. A front three of Mathys Tel, Richarlison, and Randal Kolo Muani brings experience, but it lacks the cutting edge and fearless creativity required from Premier League wingers.

It’s about time Spurs put some faith in the academy and played a youngster with actual experience on the wing. After all, you might just unearth the next Mikey Moore.

Tynan Thompson’s lack of experience is a caveat for his inclusion in the first XI, and he would probably need protection from his older teammates. 

But De Zerbi’s recent decisions to employ the experienced double pivot in Bentancur and Yves Bissouma could provide the assurance that a young player like Thompson needs to be effective and hopefully alleviate some of Spurs’ attacking problems.

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