Spurs enter the upcoming Premier League season with a renewed sense of optimism. Led by the popular and charismatic Roberto De Zerbi, and bolstered by newfound investment in the playing squad, fans expect a far better return than in previous seasons. Yet, like most things Spurs-related, even the positivity comes with a nagging sense of not quite capitalising fully on the opportunity. The club has a glaring issue with its frontline that should have been addressed far earlier in the summer, and may now need to rely on academy prospects to fill the gap — something that will likely have longer-term implications.

Frustratingly, Spurs did come close to avoiding this situation, and had it not been for Junior Kroupi’s injury and the saga around Savinho, we might not even be discussing this issue at all. However, the recent pre-season friendlies with Hoffenheim clearly demonstrated how limited Spurs are likely to be in attacking depth this season, and how big a problem this could become. The impact of this is a potential U-turn on Mikey Moore’s reported loan deal with FC Köln. Moore has been a stand-out for Spurs in pre-season, capping off his spell with an impressive brace against Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Spurs’ line-up against Hoffenheim on Saturday, which could well be replicated for the season opener against Brentford.

His imminent move to Germany was not seen as a slight on Moore — instead, a natural progression for a 19-year-old trying to gain increased first-team experience. Notably, there was no option to buy in any of the proposed agreements with FC Köln. Spurs, though, have put the deal on hold, likely a combination of first-team need and his impressive recent form, which has no doubt caught De Zerbi’s eye. For the sake of Moore’s development, most would hope it’s the latter reason. Spurs’ transfer-market shortcomings may well create an opportunity for Moore, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best decision for player or club.

Spurs’ Mikey Moore in European action for the club (Photo by @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram)

Spurs would still ideally like to add to the squad this window, but much of their depth challenge stems from injuries. Mohamed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Xavi Simons, and Wilson Odobert are all expected to return in the coming months, meaning Moore’s involvement in the first team could well be short-lived. That would likely necessitate a demotion to the U-21s or a hastily arranged loan in January — neither scenario ideal in terms of the gradual progression the club would presumably plan for someone it clearly rates highly.

Fans have become understandably excited by promising glimpses in pre-season and during his loan spell at Rangers last term. But the short-term view should still be one of caution — Moore only turned 19 this month, and the odds of precocious talent breaking through at that age, and sustaining it in the Premier League, are incredibly rare. There are, in fact, many cases where early Premier League involvement has had a detrimental impact on the medium-to-long-term development of promising academy prospects — Izzy Brown, Federico Macheda, Michael Johnson, and Jose Baxter are all partially forgotten names offering a cautionary tale about premature opportunity. Spurs fans might also place the likes of Dele Alli and David Bentley in the same bracket, though both went on to enjoy widely successful careers that arguably never reached the heights they should have. There are always exceptions, of course, but conventional Premier League wisdom would suggest that, at 19, Moore should avoid being thrust into Tottenham’s first team quite this soon.

None of this is really Moore’s fault, and that’s what makes it worth watching closely. He hasn’t forced his way into this situation — Spurs’ own recruitment gaps have done that for him. The right outcome for the club and the right outcome for the player aren’t necessarily the same thing this summer, and De Zerbi will have a genuine judgment call to make: whether a teenager’s bright pre-season form is a real signal, or just the kind of small sample that has flattered better-resourced clubs into rushing talent before. Given how often that bet has failed elsewhere, patience, even at the cost of a difficult few months up front, is probably still the safer one to take.