Will Tottenham continue their England pipeline?

Harry Kane flew the flag for Tottenham for his performances at Euro 2020, inspiring England as captain with his goals in the knockout stages of the competition. He ensured that Spurs were well represented at the tournament even if it did take time for the forward to discover his peak form.

Kane was considered the top contender to score first in the goalscoring odds on Italy v England in the Euro 2020 final due to his exploits in the final third. The 28-year-old managed to put his personal feelings aside to lead England amid transfer speculation regarding his club future. However, there is a concern that when Kane leads England into the 2022 World Cup, he will not be doing so as a Tottenham player.

It’s a worry on two fronts. Firstly, Spurs would be losing arguably the best striker in the world. However, it would further diminish their impact on the England team. In the last World Cup, there were five Spurs players in Gareth Southgate’s squad of 23. In the 26-man squad at the Euros, Kane was the sole figure from the Tottenham side.

Eric Dier’s dip in form over the last three years resulted in him losing his place to Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips in the middle of the park. Dele Alli had similar issues after his fall from grace under Jose Mourinho. Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho all surpassed him in the final third between the 2018 World Cup in the Euros. Kieran Trippier moved to Atletico Madrid, while Danny Rose also fell out of favour before leaving Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It proves a lot can happen in football in three years.

On the other hand, 18 months is also a long time in the game. Nuno Espirito Santo could be the man to get Alli firing in the final third once again. Ryan Mason handed the 25-year-old a run in the team towards the end of the 2020/21 campaign, and there were signs that the forward was beginning to regain his confidence that was stripped away by Mourinho.

Alli can point towards the Portuguese for a lack of faith, and he can use the example of Luke Shaw to inspire him. Shaw was cast aside and maligned by Mourinho at Manchester United. However, he has bounced back under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was one of England’s key men at Euro 2020, producing outstanding performances down the left flank. Alli must also look at himself and improve the standard of his displays to regain his form from between 2015 to 2018 that made him indispensable for both club and country.

Spurs also have promising talents emerging on the field. Ryan Sessegnon has represented England through the ranks, and should he deliver on his potential down the left flank under Nuno, then he will be pressing the likes of Shaw and Ben Chilwell for a spot at the 2022 World Cup. Oliver Skipp is growing into a role in the middle of the park. Nuno may give him the chance to highlight his ability that could see him develop into one of the leading defensive midfielders in the country. Dane Scarlett and Alfie Devine are hopes for the long-term future, but Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka have proven that could come sooner than they think.

The production line of Spurs talent into the England team might be slowing at the moment, but the faucet could be flowing soon enough.

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