Since the sale of Gareth Bale two summers ago, Tottenham have experienced first hand just how punishing getting it wrong in the transfer market can be.

With a world record transfer fee to splurge, the likes of Paulinho, Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado were brought to White Hart Lane - all international players and arriving with burgeoning reputations.

However, fast forward 24 months and one has been sold to a Chinese club after flopping, while the other two are practically unsellable due to the extortionate fees that Spurs dished out for them in the first place.

As such, Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly continued where Tim Sherwood left off; by giving some of the North London club’s brightest youth players a chance to shine.

So far it has certainly paid off, with Harry Kane showing that he has all the attributes to be a world-beater and having a terrific influence on the club last season.

Both Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb shone in the heart of the pitch, with potential for a long-term central midfield pairing for years to come.

Looking at the next wave of Spurs youngsters, there is clearly more talent that seems ready for Premier League action, with the signs being that Pochettino is ready to blood more of the club’s best starlets.

The sales of Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and now Benjamin Stambouli take three central midfielders out of the Argentine’s squad, while Mousa Dembele’s future at White Hart Lane is also a point of contention.

However, one young central midfielder that looks set to benefit as a result of the exodus in his position is Dele Alli.

The promising former MK Dons star is still only 19, but has proven that he has all the physical attributes to play senior football over the last number of seasons in the Football League.

This all-action, goalscoring midfielder is seen as one of England’s brightest young homegrown talents, with the Spurs man featuring for the national under-19’s side.

Although the step up to playing in the Premier League for someone so young will take time, the signs are there that Alli could well get his chance.

After Mason, Bentaleb and Dembele, Spurs have no other recognised central midfielder apart from Alli and fellow young star Tom Carroll. Both could have a part to play in 2015-16.

Further forward, the right side of Pochettino’s attack has been an area of concern, with neither Andros Townsend nor Lamela proving consistent enough to call the position their own.

This surely should be an area that the Londoners are looking to strengthen this summer, but a telling reason that they are not could well be the return of Alex Pritchard.

The homegrown star had a fantastic campaign on loan at Brentford last season and has been starring for England under-21’s.

A live-wire with pace to burn, trickery and an eye for goal, Pritchard’s inclusion will surely freshen Pochettino’s options up and add another young star to the first-team reckoning.

Although buying big-name players can still pay dividends for a team with top-four ambitions like Tottenham, the policy of promoting youth seems to be one that they are set to continue with.

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