Sunderland legend Kevin Ball runs the rule over Tottenham Hotspur’s ranks ahead of their impending trip to Wearside.
HARRY KANE
When I cast my eye over Tottenham Hotspur’s squad list, it’s great to see so many young British players they have coming through. Starting with Harry Kane in this week’s edition of my ones to watch, the striker has impressed me because he hasn’t had a straightforward development. I’ve mentioned that before, but I like the fact it hasn’t been plain sailing for him because that has served him well in the long run. A loan spell at Leicester City and a few other clubs saw him earn his stripes and for me that highlights his desire to develop. While chances were initially limited at Spurs, Kane took the one he had with both hands and is now one of the country’s leading strikers. He has excellent movement and can finish with both feet - you only have to look at his goalscoring record to see that with 13 goals in just 17 Premier League appearances.
Dele Alli
I became aware of Dele Alli a long time ago and it doesn’t surprise me one bit to see what he is achieving at Spurs despite only being 20. He is one of the country’s finest players to come through in recent years and has an extremely bright future at the very top in the game. For youngsters one of the qualities to hammer into their game is consistency and I think Alli has achieved that as he has already bettered last year’s goalscoring tally in the Premier League this season with 11 goals as opposed to the 10 he racked up last term. With 11 assists in his 54 top-flight appearances, that’s an area of his game he could improve but I think he has many years ahead of him in order to develop that side of his game.
MOUSSA DEMBELE
Moussa Dembele is a brilliant player and I think he may slip slightly under the radar at Spurs when you look at the other midfielders they have. I’ve watched Dembele a couple of times and I love everything about him because he displays so much quality. He is an exceptional passer of the ball, he has top drawer positional play and is also a threat in the advanced areas of the pitch.
TOBY ALDERWEIRELD
The Belgian defender is a player I have long admired as he has developed into one of Spurs’ most accomplished players at the back. With seven clean sheets in 14 Premier League appearances this season, the 27-year-old has enjoyed a fine campaign as the team have also conceded just seven times when he has featured. Alderweireld has excellent positional sense and that gives him the extra yard more often than not to time his tackles to perfection, boasting a 100% tackle success rate. Added to that, Spurs have lost just once in 14 matches he has played this season – an extremely formidable stat.