Tottenham could include a surprise name in Ange Postecoglou’s Premier League squad of 25 players.

Here, football.london examines Ange Postecoglou’s situation before Tottenham must submit their 25-man squad for the first half of the season to the Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur should now have a relatively easy time picking a 25-man squad for the first half of the 2023/24 Premier League season. Spurs’ large numbers gradually began to decline after a late flurry of outgoings before the summer deadline.

They would then fall by two more when the Premier League transfer window closed, as the head coach granted the go-ahead for both Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele to join Galatasaray. Whereas the former has joined the Turkish giants on a permanent basis, the latter has merely moved on a season-long loan and is likely to return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next summer unless they exercise their option to buy him.

Spurs have reached the magic number of 17 non-homegrown players following the exits of their pair, with Spurs’ homegrown numbers standing at eight. Clubs, as always, may name no more than 17 non-homegrown players on the list, with the remainder of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, being homegrown.

Tottenham and the rest of England’s top division now have until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13 to submit their final 25-man playing roster to the Premier League. Whereas it appeared just over a week ago that Postecoglou would have to eliminate players from the submitted squad, his biggest decision today will be whether to include long-serving Hugo Lloris.

Previously appearing to be the obvious candidate to drop out to make room for others because he has stated that he has no future at Tottenham and wishes to move elsewhere, the departures of Sanchez and Ndombele mean that Spurs are now on the limit of 17 non-homegrown players, and Lloris could be named in the squad if Postecoglou wishes to include him. However, the head coach’s recent comments in his press conference prior to the Bournemouth game appear to hint that the Frenchman will not be included in the squad.

“As I said, you can’t just have any number of players you want,” he explained. There is a list, and it is unlikely that three goalkeepers will be on our final Premier League roster.”

If Lloris is truly left off of the Premier League’s final 25-man playing roster, one slot will become available. Given Spurs’ defender deficit following Sanchez’s departure and the club’s failure to sign another centre-back, academy player Brooklyn Lyons-Foster could be listed as a homegrown player if Postecoglou wants to guarantee he has plenty of options at the back.

Because he was born before January 1, 2002, the 22-year-old is no longer eligible for the distinct Under-21 player list for the 2023/24 season, thus he would need to be named to the homegrown list if he is to be a possibility for Postecoglou in the Premier League. Lyons-Foster has made four Premier League 2 appearances this season, captaining the Lilywhites in their first three games until Matthew Craig took over in their last game against Blackburn Rovers.

Another option for accommodating Lyons-Forster is for the centre-back to replace injured goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman on the homegrown list. However, that could all hinge on the shot-stopper’s return timeline, as he had surgery in August for an ankle ailment incurred during the preseason.

Tottenham’s final 25-man squad will benefit from a handful of players who can be included on the Under-21 player list. Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr of the first team qualify, as do summer signings Ashley Phillips and Alejo Veliz.

Here is how Tottenham’s 25-man playing roster for the first half of the 2023/24 Premier League season currently looks:

Non-homegrown Premier League players include Guglielmo Vicario,Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Richarlison, and Dejan Kul, Hugo Lloris, Emerson Royal, Pedro Porro, Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Giovani Lo Celso, Son Heung-min

Ben Davies, Ryan Sessegnon, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Oliver Skipp,Fraser Forster, Brandon Austin, Alfie Whiteman, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson (9) are Premier League homegrown players.

Ashley Phillips, Matthew Craig, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, George Abbott, Alfie Dorrington,and Alejo Veliz are notable Under-21s players.