Former Tottenham defender Ledley King has urged the club to continue to promote homegrown talent as they prepare to move into their new stadium.
King remains one of the most popular figures at Spurs even after he was forced to prematurely retire at the age of 31 in 2012 due to ongoing knee problems.
Having come through the youth ranks at the club before establishing himself as a key figure in the first team, he was naturally always well supported by the fans who embraced one of their own.
While the former England international has conceded that he believes Tottenham lost a bit of that magic for a while, he’s delighted to see the likes of Harry Kane come through and believes that it will be imperative Spurs continue down that path as they wait to move into their new long-term home season after next.
“It is vital for that connection to be maintained. After I retired, the club lost a bit of that identity,” he told the Evening Standard. “Then, when Harry Kane broke into the team, the fans were able to get behind a local lad again.
“It’s a credit to [manager] Mauricio Pochettino, who has really encouraged the players to develop their craft. If they progress, they will get their chance.”
With expectations rising under Pochettino though, it could be become more difficult to follow that strategy as supporters and the board will naturally want immediate success and so it’s certainly going to be a difficult balancing act with signing top players to take them to the next level.
Further, speculation hasn’t been kind to Tottenham since they faltered in the Premier League title race and FA Cup semi-finals, with some of their key players linked with exits this summer.
While it seems as though there is certainly a number of talented young players coming through their youth system, it will be essential to keep this group together moving forward too.