Tottenham Hotspur will enjoy a sojourn away from competitive action this weekend with their Premier League opponents, Chelsea, attending to obligations in the Carabao Cup final.
It's a double-edged sword. Influential full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie both missed out last weekend as Ange Postecoglou's side slumped to defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers and with both stars likely to have missed out this weekend, a break isn't a bad thing.
That said, Spurs need fluency after fluctuating in results and performance, last securing successive victories in the league before Christmas Day, and after Manchester United's shock Old Trafford loss against Fulham, fifth-placed Tottenham could now create some breathing space.
Securing top four is the incentive but Postecoglou's project is definitely moving in the right direction, with some exciting improvements to the first team and some incredible development within the academy ranks.
Tottenham's development squad have so many talented youngsters pushing for prominence, and while the likes of Jamie Donley perch at the top, Tyrese Hall might just be the club's most precocious starlet.
Tyrese Hall could be a bigger talent than Jamie Donley
Hall might only be young but he has been riding the crest of a wave recently as he continues to sparkle brightest among many high-quality peers, having joined the club from London rivals Chelsea during his formative years.
Stepping up to thrive at U18 level across the 2021/22 campaign – while still a schoolboy – Hall is clearly destined for the top level and now he must just ply his trade industriously to continue the growth that has whipped relevant circles into a frenzied buzz.
This season, the 18-year-old has scored six goals and supplied five assists in all competitions, principally in the U18 Premier League but recently being promoted to the Premier League 2 and supplying two assists on his debut.
While Jamie Donley is the creme-de-la-creme of Wayne Burnett's development squad right now, having posted six goals and 12 assists from 17 matches this season, the 19-year-old might just find himself leapfrogged if Hall continues in his ascendancy.
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Hall has received a glowing endorsement from Tottenham insider Superhotspur, who outlined his best attributes, writing that he is 'a player with great ability on the ball' and that he is 'capable of creating chances out of very little, and he with his consistently impressive weight and vision for a pass, he is also capable of making those all important forward passes.'
Such qualities spring a certain Phil Foden to mind; just imagine, for one moment, if Spurs have such a player on their hands.
Phil Foden's season in numbers
Manchester City are not quite firing on cylinders after winning the treble last season, but the Etihad side are still the best team on the continent and are competing for the biggest honours, with Foden's elite contributions among the most important.
With Kevin De Bruyne sat on the sidelines for large portions of the campaign, the 23-year-old has proved his worth and then some, unceasingly productive.
Stat
#
Matches
26
Starts
24
Goals
9
Assists
7
Pass completion
89%
Shots per game
2.8
Key passes per game
2.0
Dribbles per game
1.4
Ball recoveries per game
3.6
Duels won per game
4.0
Moreover, to illustrate this point, the mesmeric England international ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 7% for assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 2% for pass completion, the top 8% for passes attempted and the top 20% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
More succinctly: he is a world-class player. Praised for his "immense" quality by The Times' Henry Winter, Foden continues to thrive at the heart of one of the finest football teams across Europe in a generation, a dynamic dancer through the lanes, balletic in his gait and deadly in the final third.
Hall, while naturally a more defensive-heavy midfielder, has a similarly prodigious sheen to his play and he might just find himself earning comparisons as he continues to rise to the fore.
Manchester City eyeing Hall
On the topic of Man City, Guardiola's side have been reported to be big admirers of Hall by Football Transfers, who have revealed that scouts had been dispatched earlier in February to observe him in action.
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The Barnet-born teenager's seamless transition through the levels has suggested that he is of a standard that would not be out of place at the nest of City's system, and while a move might be forthcoming, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy must be steadfast in repelling the advances.
Spurs are currently at the Premier League 2's summit and are creating a mouth-watering youth fold of immense ability, and while Hall would – and should – be confident in his ability to follow the likes of Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis (and Foden) in Greater Manchester, opting to remain in London might prove to be the more prudent route in the end.
Hall's composed finish against the young Citizens – a clutch of players that the Manchester City powers-that-be wish for him to join – was sadly not enough to prevent a cup exit as the adversaries turned the game on its head.
But it's just another example of his stunning potential, and while Hall is safely ensconced in his fledgling phase as a U18 star (he need not worry about a promotion to the senior squad at this stage), there is no question that the teenager is among the finest midfielders of his age bracket and the vested interest of Manchester City can attest to that.
Spurs must fight fiercely to retain Hall's services, guiding the flickering flame of his development and ensuring that he is clad in Tottenham white when, if all goes to plan, he breaks into the senior set-up and catches the eye.