In the summer of 2008, very few Tottenham Hotspur fans would have recognized the name Luka Modrić when the club secured his signing from Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb.
The hierarchy forked out £16million, with real hope and expectation on their shoulders to deliver the goods in the north London midfield department.
It’s safe to say that his time with the Lilywhites exceeded the expectations of everyone involved, with Modric appearing 156 times during his four years at the club.
However, his incredible performances in the Premier League caught the attention of Real Madrid in the summer of 2012, earning him a £30 million move to the Santiago Bernabéu.
13 years on, the club are still looking for their next version of the Croatian superstar, with current boss Thomas Frank having two youngsters at his disposal who could reach such levels in the years to come.
Spurs’ most impressive youngsters in 2025/26
Archie Gray may have cost the Spurs hierarchy a pretty penny, at £40 million, but it appears to be an investment for the immediate and long-term future.
The 19-year-old has already racked up over 50 appearances for the Lilywhites, playing in different positions such as right-back, centre-back, left-back and his natural role as a central midfielder.
Given his young age, he likely has a future ahead of him in north London, with Frank already trusting the teenager to produce the goods – as evidenced by his Champions League debut this week.
However, Gray is not the only youngster to have already cemented himself in the new manager’s plans, with Lucas Bergvall thriving with valuable first-team minutes.
The Swede also arrived at the club last summer, with the Lilywhites hierarchy shelling out a fee of around £8.5million for his signing from hometown club Djurgarden.
Many expected him to initially join the youth team, but he quickly cemented his place in the first team – recording a total of 57 appearances over the last 15 months.
He even scored his first Premier League goal earlier this campaign, netting the stunning 3-0 triumph over city rivals West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Despite the performances of the aforementioned duo, another player currently on their books could prove to be their perfect answer to former fan favorite Modric.
The Spurs star who could be their next Modric
As the additions of Gray and Bergvall show in recent years, the Spurs hierarchy has shifted its recruitment to bring in younger talent in order to reduce the age of the team.
The current age of the first team is 25.3, making Frank’s side one of the youngest in the division – but that hasn’t stopped them making an excellent start to the season.
His men currently sit sixth after eight outings and ahead of this weekend’s matches, just five points behind leaders and north London rivals Arsenal.
However, their investment has not stopped many academy talents from blossoming and claiming regular roles in the first team.
Luca Williams-Barnett has already made his senior debut at the age of just 16, coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup triumph over Doncaster Rovers in September.
Many of their impressive young talents are currently out on loan, with attacking midfielder Tyrese Hall earning valuable first-team action at League Two side Notts County.
The 20-year-old spent many years in the youth set-up, but he made his first jump into professional football with the Magpies in the 2025/26 season.
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Tyrese Hall – statistics at Notts County (25/26) |
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|---|---|
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Statistics (by 90) |
Scoring |
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Games played |
9 |
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Goals and assists |
5 |
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Success rate |
81% |
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Opportunities created |
1.2 |
|
Successful dribbles |
1.9 |
|
Shots on target |
1.2 |
|
Tackles won |
3.4 |
|
Duels won |
6.8 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
|
He wasted no time in impressing Martin Patterson’s side, subsequently scoring five times and registering one assist in all competitions to date.
Hall has already scored three match-winning goals during his temporary stay at Nottingham – already cementing himself as a key member of the team during their promotion campaign.
Due to his impressive form in recent years, former Lilywhites star Jermaine Defoe has sung his praises, saying he has a “kind of Luka Modric vibe” to his current style of play.
“He’s someone who I believe is a Premier League footballer. And that’s a big statement, but he’s someone who, when I first saw him, I believe, God willing, is someone who can go on and play at the highest level.
“Incredible footballer. So much potential, and he reminds me a little bit, technically, of how good he is, so silky, again another big statement, that Luka Modric, Joe Cole sort of vibe.”
Given the jump between League Two and the Premier League, it will certainly take time for the youngster to make an impression on Frank’s first team.
However, his recent form proves that he has plenty of talent in his game at the moment, with the midfielder having the chance to prove Defoe right in the years to come.
