Tottenham Hotspur have been preparing ahead of their return to Premier League action this weekend and Nuno Santo called up a surprise name to first-team training.

The north Londoners struggled for form before the international break, although they did put a run of three straight heavy league defeats to an end with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Several of the Portuguese's squad have been out performing for their respective national sides and once again he will be sweating on the availability of his South American quartet, two of whom are central defenders in Davinson Sanchez - who will have to isolate - and Cristian Romero - who doesn't have to quarantine any more.

It is perhaps why Nuno has brought Tobi Omole into the senior fold, a towering 21-year-old centre-back who joined the club in October 2020 after spending six years at arch-rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners rejected him and Spurs were able to secure him on a free transfer as their rivals did not even offer him a professional contract despite being tipped for a first-team breakthrough.

Omole is yet to make his senior debut for the club but he has been named on the bench for their UEFA Europa Conference League clashes with Stade Rennes and NS Mura, as well as in the Premier League against Crystal Palace.

Clearly, he has done something to impress Nuno at Hotspur Way.

The young defensive gem has been pictured in training this week, and whilst it remains to be seen exactly how tall he is, he looks to be in a similar frame to Joe Rodon, who is 6 foot 4.

That sort of aerial presence bodes well for his chances of making it as a central defender, that's for sure.

Out of contract at the end of the current campaign, Nuno is believed to want to offer him a new deal and has called him up to training to take a closer inspection.

Not many defenders have made their way through the academy system in N17 in recent times, so Omole could well look to follow in the footsteps of club legend Ledley King, who was also born in London.

We could well see the 21-year-old feature in their upcoming European matches, especially as he has been waiting on the bench in two games already.

If the Portuguese likes what he sees, then he could well discover the next King at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - only time will tell.

AND in other news, Paratici U-turn: Spurs fans will love Fabrizio Romano's latest transfer claim...