Trust in youth: Is the next Alli out there?

Liverpool dithered and we didn’t, or so they say,in the pursuit of Dele Alli. Our £5m purchase of the England man was one of the greatest bargains in top flight football history.

Tottenham signed the Milton Keynes born star at the end of the January 2015 window and he was immediately loaned back to Karl Robinson’s side for the remainder of that season.

The following season Dele’s Spurs career started in earnest and he hit the ground running netting over fifty goals in his first two full seasons at White Hart Lane.

However Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino have so far either been reluctant in finding the next Dele by scouring the lower leagues or trusting in what they’ve got. However according to two reports this week that may be about to change.

The Daily Mirror are reporting that we, along with others, are monitoring Rochdale’s 16-year-old midfielder Daniel Adshead.

The Manchester born teenager made Rochdale history this week by becoming the club’s youngest ever player when he made his debut against Bury in the Checkatrade trophy at just 16 years and 17 days.

He trained with the senior team on school holidays from the age of 14 and he’s been on the radar of several big clubs since his promotion to Rochdale’s first team.

According to The Sun another promising youngster on Spurs watch list is Walsall teenager Mitch Candlin.

The report says Candlin’s, who became the third youngest player to make his League One debut last season, progress is being monitored by a host of Premier League clubs including West Ham and Spurs.

The 17 year-old has become a regular in Saddlers boss Jon Whitney’s plans after a rapid rise up the ranks.

Candlin’s breakthrough has also been rewarded at international level when he was called up to train with the England Under-18’s for their games against Brazil and South Africa.

The report says we’ve done a detailed scouting report on the six-foot striker who is a natural goalscorer and who’s all round game is good enough for him to have a hugely successful career.

Both players sound promising but like many before them, an awful lot of young lads fall by the wayside. Dele is a rare breed but its also encouraging to see young lads get opportunities even at lower league level and Mauricio Pochettino is of course known to like to develop youngsters so perhaps Tottenham could be the perfect place for them.

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