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Tottenham news: Academy striker could change summer transfer plans

By Rucker Haringey

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Kazaiah Sterling of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring a goal in the second half during the FA Youth Cup Sixth Round match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on February 27, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Kazaiah Sterling of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring a goal in the second half during the FA Youth Cup Sixth Round match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on February 27, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images) /
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Kazaiah Sterling will train with Tottenham’s first team next season

Most Tottenham fans fully expect the club to purchase a new striker this summer. After all, Vincent Janssen certainly hasn’t proven he can shoulder the load behind Harry Kane. The one man who has the ability to change the club’s thinking is Academy striker Kazaiah Sterling.

That may seem like hyperbole to some. After all, Sterling has yet to make a Premier League appearance for Spurs. To date, the majority of his contributions have been for Tottenham’s U18 side. He has also managed to find the back of the net for the U23 setup as well.

Nonetheless, Mauricio Pochettino informed the media that Sterling will train with the first team next season yesterday. That isn’t a surprising development given the Argentine gaffer’s preferred way of managing young players. Pochettino clearly prefers to keep his blue-chip talent close as opposed to loaning them out all over Europe.

In all fairness, it will be difficult for Sterling to show enough talent with the first team to prevent the club from purchasing another player at his position. At best, he’ll manage to earn some valuable training time with the senior squad during this year’s stretch run. At worst, he won’t join the likes of Harry Kane in training until the summer.

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The point is he won’t get a ton of time to show Pochettino he’s ready to be Kane’s backup before the club will start their summer shopping. If he does hope to give Pochettino second thoughts about purchasing a new forward, he’ll need to make a massive impression immediately.

Ultimately, the odds are stacked heavily against Sterling making a dent in next year’s senior squad. The more likely path for the talented starlet would be to earn meaningful playing time with the first team in 2018-19. Sterling could start as the club’s third-choice striker with the hopes of overtaking someone (Janssen or a new purchase) as Kane’s primary backup.

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Still, it must be said that Sterling is the one Academy player with a real shot at cracking into Pochettino’s striking rotation next season. The 2017-18 campaign might be a year too early for Sterling, but his inclusion in first team training bodes well for his future at Spurs.

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