Tottenham Hotspur are enjoying success under Ange Postecoglou and there is every possibility that the club will return to the Champions League next season after failing to qualify for European football at all last year.
It's also quite clear that Postecoglou is building something set to last in north London, shrewdly signing talented players and encouraging the quality of the existing crop back into the limelight.
Tottenham were made mincemeat of on too many occasions last season and Postecoglou's appointment was crucial to prevent further woes, a plummet into the abyss of midtable.
Last weekend, victory over Brighton & Hove Albion pushed Spurs back into fourth place and Aston Villa's home defeat against Manchester United the next day confirmed the position – with just 14 matches left to play in the Premier League, there is hope indeed.
While this senior success is at the forefront of the club's current endeavours, the formative fold are actually surpassing Postecoglou's men and top the Premier League 2 table with a perfect record after 11 matches.
Much has been made of Spurs' lack of squad depth over the duration of the campaign and indeed the likes of Jamie Donley and Alfie Dorrington have found regular places in the matchday plans since November to combat these issues, now alleviated after chairman Daniel Levy welcomed Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner in the winter transfer market.
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Donley and Dorrington are exciting prospects but they are not the only teenage talents capable of wedging their way into the first-team, with left-back Charlie Sayers pushing for more after some excellent displays this season.
Charlie Sayers' season in numbers
Sayers, aged 19, joined Tottenham from Southend United in December 2021 and has since gone from strength to strength within the youth fold, at present a standout member of England's finest-performing U21 squad.
Having amassed 38 appearances for Tottenham's respective development outfits, Sayers is indeed now knocking on Postecoglou's doorstep and will be among the most likely options to wedge their way into the senior set-up going forward.
Of course, the fact that Spurs have been knocked out of both domestic cups and failed to qualify for Europe last season means that if Sayers is to grace the pitch with the first team before the summer it will come in the Premier League, and with everything on the line the Australian manager will be more circumspect than he might like when handing out debuts to the formative players.
Regardless, Sayers is proving himself and will be sure to take the next step in his development sooner rather than later, having completed nine appearances in all competitions this term and started five times for his table-topping team in the Premier League 2.
In the EFL Trophy, as per Sofascore, he has exhibited his elite athleticism and energy down the left channel by averaging 1.3 key passes, two tackles and 7.3 ball recoveries per match across three fixtures, also completing 85% of his passes.
Charlie Sayers' style of play
Club insider Superhotspur has described Sayers as a tall defender capable of performing both centrally and out wide, boasting a wide range of passing and with good pace to keep things ticking down the flank.
The report goes on to denote a preference to play the ball out and maintain fluency in possession, two points that certainly work in his favour when considering the system that Postecoglou implements and the style that he expects his players to bring to the table.
Eric Dier, Spurs stalwart to a degree, was ostracised from the first-team action and sold to Bayern Munich last month after clearly not offering the skill set that Tottenham now require.
Radu Dragusn was brought in as a replacement but there is definitely room for a new left-sided defender to bolster the ranks – the likes of which Tottenham perhaps haven't seen since a certain former club captain, Jan Vertonghen, who was equally as supreme in possession in the two positions Sayers is capable of playing in. As a result, the teenager – who has been hailed for his "outstanding" qualities by former Southend manager Phil Brown in the past – seems to fit the Belgian's void perfectly.
There has been much talk about the likes of Donley as the Lilywhites' standout prospect and indeed the playmaker has been in scintillating form this season with six goals and 12 assists from 16 matches, but Sayers has demonstrated that he has the making of a star and could make the left-back role his own in the years to come.
After all, it's potentially easier to break in as a full-back than in the forward areas of the pitch; just ask Bukayo Saka at Arsenal who began his career as a left-sided defender.
Of course, Destiny Udogie is the first-choice left-back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and that doesn't look like it will change any time soon, but Sayers could be an excellent understudy to add some depth and dynamism over the coming years.
How Charlie Sayers compares to Destiny Udogie
Udogie signed for Tottenham from Udinese in a £15m deal back in 2022 but spent the 2022/23 campaign back on loan with the Serie A side, honing his craft and doing so rather impressively, praised as an "incredible talent" by journalist Josh Bunting.
He's taken to life in English football, under Postecoglou's stewardship, seamlessly, the 21-year-old posting two goals and three assists across 21 league outings, with his efforts leading footballJOE's Hunter Godson to remark that he "gets into nearly every team in the world already."
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 20% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 15% for pass completion, the top 12% for tackles and interceptions and the top 11% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.
On the note of ball-carrying, he also averages 6.1 ball recoveries per match in the Premier League this season so Sayers would be able to slot right into that role as the understudy. The Italian defender is also similarly crisp in his passing with an 86% success rate this term.
Sayers still has a bit of a way to go until he establishes himself as a senior at Spurs but he definitely has the tools to do so and might just find himself attracting attention in the years to come as he bids to emulate both Vertonghen and Udogie.