Tottenham likely to keep Alex Pritchard

Alex Pritchard has a golden opportunity to earn a place at Tottenham next season

Most Tottenham fans believe that Alex Pritchard doesn’t stand a chance of earning playing time for Mauricio Pochettino next season. The more I consider his chances, the more I think he stands an excellent chance at carving a role out for himself at White Hart Lane.

Let’s not forget that last summer, Pochettino openly believed that Pritchard would play a key role off the Spurs’ bench. Then, the young English midfielder was beset by injury and quickly saw his chances to earn first-team football at Tottenham slip away. He played a little for the Spurs youth setup and even less during a loan spell to West Brom, and many fans began to write him off entirely.

I can certainly understand that line of logic. Tottenham certainly enters next season with very different expectations than they had last summer. It’s reasonable to expect that a player who was on the edges of the first-team last season could easily find himself shipped out this summer.

As the summer began, I really bought into that theory. Pritchard certainly isn’t a proven commodity, and the idea that Spurs would purchase a more proven player to take his spot in the squad makes a lot of sense. However, as the summer has drug on, I’ve been forced to rethink my stance on Pritchard.

More from Playing for 90

I now believe that he has a genuine opportunity to earn playing time next season. I don’t expect him to start Premier League matches or even make the squad for Champions League encounters, but he’s got a chance to earn some time in the club’s lesser competitions.

It’s not as if Spurs are blessed with an abundance of depth in the attacking midfield. After the starting trio of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela there are a lot of questions, and very few answers. Heung-Min Son and Nacer Chadli had their moments last season, but I don’t believe that either man is a lock to remain at White Hart Lane this summer.

After that, starlet Josh Onomah is really the only attacking midfielder ahead of Pritchard on the depth chart. Clinton N’Jie should also find himself in that mix, but he’s more of an out-and-out winger. Certainly Pritchard can thrive out wide as well, but he’s more likely to cut inside and try to rip open the opposing defense.

Some Spurs fans might want to see starlet Marcus Edwards find himself in that mix too, but he’s further behind the pace than Pritchard at this point. He has more long-term potential, but Pritchard has the experience to better cope with the physicality that will be required with the first team.

Pritchard’s real opposition comes down to what attacking midfielder(s) the club might purchase this summer. Mario Gotze happens to be the rumor of the day, but even if he doesn’t come, it’s very likely Spurs will add at least one, proven, attacking midfielder to the mix this summer. Those incoming purchase(s) will be the player(s) Pritchard hs to battle for a spot at Tottenham.

Alex Pritchard is far from a lock to earn a meaningful place at Tottenham this summer, but I don’t think he’s nearly as likely to be sold as most fans think. Look for him to receive a solid opportunity this preseason to earn a place in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.