Tottenham Hotspur have managed to back up their title challenge from the last season with a decent campaign this time around as they sit closest to Chelsea who are at the top of the table. They are also into the semi-final of the FA Cup where they meet Conte’s side next month at Wembley. Though they may not be able to overtake their local rivals in the league, they have plenty of positives to take from their season. One huge positive for Tottenham this season has been Harry Winks.
The English midfielder joined Tottenham academy as a kid and made his way into the senior squad back in 2014. He has also represented England at every junior level and is one of the best talents in the domestic circuit in England. He made his senior debut for the side in a Europa League encounter against Partizan and has since been a regular member of the squad under Mauricio Pochettino. He has seen a decent amount of game time this season making 13 Premier League appearances already. However, his most impressive performances have come in the domestic cup games where he has featured regularly for the side.
Playing as a deep-lying midfielder, Winks has started every FA Cup game this season and has been one of the most effective players in the midfield for his side. His recent Premier League outings coming off the bench against Stoke City and Everton were impressive but his efforts in Spurs’ 6-0 victory over Millwall at the White Hart Lane recently shows why Pochettino has a potential superstar under him.
The quarterfinal of the competition saw Pochettino go in with a strong first team against a League One outfit in Millwall. Winks was used as the deepest of the midfielders and the 21-year old produced a performance that even the best players will be jealous about. The English midfielder attempted a whopping 99 passes – which was more than any other player on the field on the night. But what was more astonishing was his passing accuracy which was at 98%. The youngster hardly misplaced a pass all night and also played 9 successful long balls, making these numbers all the more impressive.
He also had more touches than any other player in the game with 114 as he dominated the middle of the park throughout the game. To add to this, his 5 key passes were really important for his side. Winks’ contribution in the win was as vital as Heung-Min Son, who came up with a hat-trick. Playing alongside the likes of Victor Wanyama, Dele Alli and Eric Dier, it could not have been easy for the youngster to dominate the game like he did but the fact that he did put in such a performance shows he has matured beyond his age.
Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier are currently keeping him out of the first team but that will not be for long. At just 21, he has already shown great promise and surely Harry Winks is a player who will be an integral part of the squad at White Hart Lane in the future, especially with a gaffer like Mauricio Pochettino.