Tottenham: 6 Spurs Youngsters Who Will One Day Be Stars at White Hart Lane

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Whether you know it or not, Tottenham has had some serious talent come through their youth ranks.

Notable Tottenham Hotspur Youth Academy products include Ledley King, Peter Crouch, Glenn Hoddle, Nick Barmby and Sol Campbell.

New Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas is slowly rebuilding his new club. To do that, he'll need to continue being a master negotiator during the rest of the transfer window. He's starting off fine, bringing in the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Gylfi Sigurdsson and (hopefully!) Emmanuel Adebayor.

Villas-Boas will also need to be brave in letting youngsters, sometimes untested, get time on the pitch with the rest of the senior team. These are the players who will replace the aging veterans. With Ledley King already retired and several older players nearing contracts with other clubs, the Spurs' youth stars will have to start contributing in a hurry.

It's a summer of transition at White Hart Lane. What better time to check in and see what kind of talent lies among the club's youngest players.

With that said, I give you six Tottenham youngsters who will one day be stars at White Hart Lane.

Andros Townsend

Ric Tapia/Getty Images

Andros Townsend has been loaned out to more clubs than I keep count of—okay, it's eight—but at each one he's done well enough on the training pitch to earn appearances and, in some cases, goals.

The 21-year-old's most recent loan spell was at Championship side Birmingham City, a club he earned 11 appearances and four goals with despite playing less than three months with the team.

Other notable loan spells include Leyton Orient (17 appearances, five goals) and Ipswich (11 appearances, two goals).

Cameron Lancaster

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Lancaster joined Tottenham in 2010 and at the young age of 17 found his way onto Spurs' reserve teams, playing valuable exhibitions against fellow professional footballers. 

A number of impressive performances on the training pitch earned him a two-month loan spell with third-tier English side Dagenham & Redbridge. He made his Premier League debut late in a match against Wigan Athletic last season.

The striker is only 19 years old, but another successful loan spell—hopefully this time for a little bit longer—might cause Villas-Boas to give him more chances with the senior team.

Harry Kane

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Not only has Harry Kane gotten an extensive look at striker during this summer's preseason, but the 19-year-old might be forced into the starting role alongside Jermain Defoe when the Spurs start their season against Newcastle United on Saturday, August 18th.

Kane impressed during his loan out at Championship side Milwall last season, scoring seven goals in 22 league appearances and notching another two in FA Cup play.

The tall forward could be an asset for Tottenham during corner kicks and set pieces should the club be unable to sign Emmanuel Adebayor.

William Ekong

Pete Norton/Getty Images

A tall, powerful right-sided centre-back with a ton of experience on Tottenham's youth and reserve teams, William Ekong isn't even 18 years old and has been on loan spells with SV Overbos in the Netherlands and Fulham.

Pretty impressive for a guy who can't even buy a pack of smokes in the United States, right?

With Ledley King retired and William Gallas looking for a move to Queens Park Rangers, Ekong could earn more and more playing time in the next few seasons.

Giovanni Dos Santos

Julian Finney/Getty Images

His two goals during Mexico's Olympic gold-medal campaign were second on the championship team and he's still not assured of a spot at striker on Andre Villas-Boas' Tottenham side.

I have absolutely no idea what gives with Spurs managers forgetting about Giovanni Dos Santos when they fill out the lineup card. But if he can be persuaded to stay at White Hart Lane, he'll certainly be a star.

Sandro

Julian Finney/Getty Images

I know, I know—Sandro is pushing it in the "youngster" category. But if you're young enough to start in the Olympics, you're young enough to be included in this article.

Sandro did remarkably well in Brazil's silver-medal campaign during this summer's Olympics, filling more of a box-to-box midfielder role than Tottenham allows him when they force him into a tight defensive midfielder position.

If Villas-Boas gives Sandro the freedom to roam the midfield and support the attack, he'll be an easy replacement (and in my opinion, improvement) over current defensive midfielder Scott Parker.