Harry Winks: The rise of Tottenham’s latest wonderkid
Young. English. Talent. It’s one of English football’s favourite collocations — three words slung together, often misconstrued and exaggerated as England’s next saviour. Yet there are some Spurs fans who insist they do indeed possess the future heartbeat of the Three Lions — and guess what, his name isn’t Dele Alli.
“EVERY time you see him he looks that little bit more assured than the last,” commented Guy Mowbray, during Spurs’ 3–0 win over Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup back in February. The player he was referring to was arguably the game’s standout player — overlooked for the Man of the Match, of course, by the hat-trick grabbing Harry Kane. That player was Spurs’ Harry Winks. “I still think they missed a trick by not giving him squad number 40,” Mowbray added, unashamedly. If there’s anything more British than our love for puns, it’s our ability to throw precipitated hyperbole at burgeoning native footballers. Yet, with Winks, you get the feeling he might just live up to the hype.
Born and raised in Hemel Hempstead — a Tottenham stronghold — to Spurs-loving parents, there was only one club he was ever going to follow. At just five-years-old, he attended a football summer camp ran by Ross Kemp — Spurs’ former academy coach, not the Eastend Hammer. After impressing, Winks was invited to train with the club development team in St Albans, but it wasn’t long before he was moved to the Tottenham academy at White Hart Lane. He worked his way through the youth system, participating in the inaugural NextGen series, whilst also representing England from the age of 16. Spurs academy manager John McDermott oversaw the youngster’s development, and Winks credited him as “one of the most key parts of me being where I am today”, in an interview with the Guardian’s David Hytner.
Of course, he also has current boss Mauricio Pochettino to thank. The ex-Espanyol manager has repeatedly refused to loan the midfielder — Brighton were one of a number of interested clubs at the start of last season — instead preferring for him to train with the senior squad, learning to play the Pochettino way. It certainly seems to have been a shrewd decision on behalf of the Argentinian. After two years in the shadows, consigned to the odd Europa League appearance but training on a daily basis with the first team, Winks was finally ready to make the step up. He joined the squad’s pre-season tour to Australia, excelling in games against Atletico Madrid and Juventus, but then the first sign that Pochettino was ready to trust the youngster came as Winks was included on the sub’s bench in the opening Premier League weekend against Everton.
The boyhood Spurs fan set himself a pre-season goal of making 20 appearances — be it starting or coming on as a substitute. He surpassed that figure, actually making 33 across all competitions, and could’ve hit 40 were it not for the season-ending ankle injury sustained against Burnley. It’s certainly been a season to remember for the young Lion — not least for scoring his first goal in a Spurs shirt on his full debut against West Ham in November. He was a surprise inclusion to the first team that day, joining Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele in a three-man central midfield — replacing the rested Dele Alli. Not only did he score his side’s first equaliser, but he also had more touches than Dembele and Wanyama, made more successful passes and more tackles. He was the driving force in the Spurs midfield, producing a wholly impressive performance.
In the following months, he backed up that performance with some equally assured displays. He played 90 minutes on the night Spurs grabbed their first Champions League victory at Wembley — a 3–1 win over CSKA Moscow. He completed 104 passes in that match, more than any other player in the tournament on the night, with a 96% pass accuracy. Similarly, in the FA Cup, he put on two instrumental displays against Fulham and Millwall. Against the Cottagers, he boasted a 96% pass completion rate — the highest on the pitch- before registering an incredible 98% over 90 minutes against the Lions in the next round. In the latter, he made over a third more accurate passes than his midfield companion Wanyama. Yet, it wasn’t just his tidy possession stats which were getting him noticed; it was his ability to use both feet, his eagerness to hit a forward pass and his turn of pace to escape an oncoming defender. It’s those qualities which set him apart from previous breakthrough academy “gems”, such as the recently departed midfielders Nabil Bentaleb and Tom Carroll, both of whom were extremely left-footed and often opted to play the simpler pass.
COMPARISONS are inevitable when younger players emerge on the scene, and Winks has already been mentioned in the same breath as Luka Modric and Xavi Hernandez– not bad company, for sure. Such high praise isn’t unjust either — his first assist in a Spurs shirt, a quick, defence-splitting free-kick against Everton to Dele Alli, oozed class and intelligence. It wouldn’t be out of place in a YouTube showreel of the Catalan legend. Similarly, Winks’ low centre of gravity and ability to glide away from the opposition evokes memories of the ex-Spurs Croatian magician. Yet, what all three players possess is an ability to dictate a match — something Winks will only get more adept at as he gains further first team football.
In perhaps Modric’s most influential season in a Spurs shirt — 2011/12, the season before he controversially left to join Real Madrid — he played 36 games and orchestrated the midfield from his preferred central position. He averaged 54 accurate short passes per 90 minutes — more than any other Spurs player who made over 20 appearances. In Winks’ breakthrough season, he averaged 57 accurate short passes per 90 minutes — more than the much-loved Croatian averaged in any season for the London club. They’re impressive stats for any player — a joint-high figure for Spurs last season, shared with Dembele — let alone for a youngster in his first Premier League season. It highlights why Pochettino was so willing to use Winks to help see out games — he knew he could maintain the tempo of the match in Dembele’s absence. His athleticism and ability to get around the pitch also helped. He’s known to have recorded one of the best scores in last year’s pre-season fitness tests — something Pochettino will have appreciated.
Another impressive facet of Wink’s game is his confidence to receive the ball in tight areas — and more so, his ability to retain it. He thrives under pressure, simply because he has to — it’s what defines a successful playmaker. The way he dropped his shoulder, completely fooling a Millwall defender before spraying a pinpoint wide pass in the build-up to the fourth goal was tantalisingly good. Whilst he may not boast as many key passes — ones which directly lead to chances — as Modric did in his final season at Spurs, it should be expected seeing as last season he was often used as a stabiliser to control leads. However, he’s already shown the quality to suggest that he’s capable of producing key passes further up the field. What’s more, he also averaged more successful dribbles and tackles than Modric did for Real Madrid per 90 minutes last season, highlighting that there’s more to his game than just retaining possession.
WHILST ligament damage may not see him return to action until late July, the future certainly looks bright for the young Lilywhite. In the short term, his role at the club will likely remain the same. Pochettino has arguably the Premier League’s best midfield partnership in Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama, but in Winks he boasts another fantastic option. Pochettino has already shown that he trusts the youngster to replace Dembele — something he did effortlessly last season — so rotation will likely continue, and Winks will surely see more first team league starts.
From there, it could only be a matter of time before he receives a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s young England squad. Midfield is arguably the Thee Lion’s weakest area, with Southgate clearly lacking a player who can control a game. Winks could fix that. A future international partnership with fellow Spurs boy Eric Dier is also a possibility — the latter’s midfield enforcer role complements Winks’ playmaker style nicely. He’s already captained England u20’s — his down-to-earth yet determined attitude another credible aspect to his game. And if things go to plan, he could follow in another Spurs academy graduate’s footsteps — Harry Kane — in one day leading out his boyhood club.
Spurs fans can understandably be excited. Winks is one of the most technically gifted players to come out of their academy in recent years, and certainly one of the quickest to adapt to the Premier League. He’s the next ‘young English talent’ — and he’s one of their own…
Words by Jared Tinslay/ @JaredTinslay
