Tottenham have had enormous success with their scouting network in the last decade. Players like Gareth Bale were signed for peanuts and sold for world record transfer fees. Chairman Daniel Levy has been a major factor in ensuring that Spurs receive the best possible transfer fees for their players. On the other side, chief scout David Pleat has ensured that the supply line of high-quality youngsters keeps coming through. He has been responsible for signing several youngsters from lower leagues unlike some of the other top clubs, which tend to go for exotic foreign names.
Back when Damien Comolli was in charge of the transfers at Tottenham, the club went through a lot of hits and misses. In the last few years, though, they have had tremendous success in the form of signing youngsters. There has been a lot of buzz around Plymouth and Stevenage after David Pleat was seen in the stands for a recent game between the two. Plymouth managed a 2-1 win over Stevenage, but confusion persists as to the reason for Pleat’s presence in the stands.
Aside from Tottenham scouts, the game also witnessed the presence of Stoke City, Southampton, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and Arsenal scouts. It suggests that there is something of great interest brewing up at one of these clubs. Stevenage’s Ben Kennedy is regarded as a great talent and he could be one of the players who could interest top clubs. The 19-year-old made his debut for Stevenage back in January 2015. He has since featured in 42 games across all competitions.
After managing to score four goals in 17 appearances in his first season, Kennedy has been able to sustain his impressive showing with three goals in 25 last season. He has continued to be the first team regular at the League Two outfit after making eight appearances and scoring one goal in the current campaign. However, he was not part of the game against Plymouth as he was with the Northern Ireland U21 team. Kennedy’s last appearance for Stevenage was back towards the end of September.
Plymouth may not have many such top talents in their ranks, but they do have Harry McKirdy in the squad. McKirdy is owned by Championship outfit Aston Villa, who reportedly see him as one for the future.
These players may look like not being ready for the first team at least for the next five years. Many expected Dele Alli also to be one among them, but the 20-year-old’s progression from the MK Dons team to the England national team squad has been nothing short of spectacular. There is no reason why Spurs can repeat the success with Alli.
