Tottenham Transfers: 6 U-21 Players Spurs Should Sign This Summer

By now, we're all well aware of the "big-name" transfer targets Tottenham will be pursuing this summer.

This list consists of Jan Vertonghen and Eden Hazard, with Loic Remy likely to be pursued if funds are available and depending on if Emmanuel Adebayor signs a permanent deal with the club or not.

There are a number of other less-reported rumors that can be mentioned, like Ganso and Milos Krasic, but those transfers are far less likely to happen than the four mentioned above.

So rather than simply regurgitate a list including those four names plus a couple others, I've decided to explore some of the U-21 players Tottenham may sign this summer.

Tottenham are a frugal team, and have quietly been enhancing their youth team with top-quality prospects they hope will prove to be world-beaters in the coming years.

This season, Cristian Ceballos, Souleymane Coulibaly and Iago Falque were added to Tottenham's ranks, and even though they've collectively seen little playing time this season, they all seem to have bright futures with the club.

What youth players will Tottenham be eyeing up this summer? Let's find out.

Cristian Ramirez

According to ESPN, Ecuadorian youngster Cristian Ramirez has joined Tottenham on a 10-day trial from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle.

To be honest, I know nothing about the kid, who doesn't even have a Wikipedia page at the moment. However, according to the ESPN article:

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Ramirez, 17, came to prominence during the 2011 South American Youth Championships as one of the stars of the Ecuadorian side and also payed in last year's Under-17 World Cup.

Having made his debut as a 16-year-old, the left full-back has already gone on to become a first-team regular at club-side Independiente del Valle.

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That's not usually enough for me to approve of signing a youngster from overseas, but the scouts are taking the precaution of trialing him before signing him, so that's a good step to take.

Left-back is not a position where Tottenham has much depth, and even though it would take at least a couple of years before Ramirez enters the first-team picture, he's unlikely to have his path to becoming a regular squad member blocked in the future by better players.

Julian Velazquez

If Spurs are looking for an U-21 starlet who can maker an impact sooner rather than later, Julian Velazquez may just be their man.

Velazquez is highly rated in Argentina, where he has already made his debut for the national team. He has been a regular for Independiente since 2009, winning the Copa Sudamericana with the club.

Spurs are likely to be stacked at center back next season, with Steven Caulker returning to join Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul, William Gallas and Ryan Nelsen as an option at center-back, but Velazquez may just be too good a talent to pass up, especially with Roma, Lazio and Inter all reportedly interested.

Junior Hoilett

Junior Hoilett has been one of the players most frequently linked to Tottenham, but he's still a U-21 player, so he fits the bill.

Hoilett has been in scintillating form for Blackburn this season. Despite Blackburn's recent two-game losing streak, Hoilett has been the reason his side aren't already sunk and relegated. He has contributed six goals and six assists in 27 games this season.

Unfortunately for Blackburn, Hoilett has reportedly refused to sign a new deal with them, and looks very likely to leave on a free transfer in the summer.

His top potential destinations? You guessed it—Tottenham and Arsenal.

Junior Hoilett was reportedly a target for Spurs in the winter, but being the stickler that he is, Redknapp smartly chose to be patient and wait until the summer to bid for the Brampton, Ontario native, knowing that he could get him for next to nothing in the summer.

Hoilett doesn't have the instant name recognition that most of the other guys on this list do, but he could cause some serious damage on the right flank for Tottenham, and finally provide Spurs with depth in the absence of Aaron Lennon.

And who knows? In time, he may just prove himself good enough to start ahead of Lennon on the right flank for himself.

Raheem Sterling

Liverpool fans won't like Sterling's inclusion on this list, but multiple sources are reporting that Sterling is growing more and more disgruntled with his lack of playing time at Liverpool.

The 17-year-old has seen only 7 minutes of action as a late-game substitute vs Wigan this season, and for a player as hyped and praised as Sterling, that may not be enough.

Redknapp may not be very well known himself for his youth development skills, but he has a great track record for grooming British talents to have successful careers (see: Jermain Defoe, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Gareth Bale).

As a winger, Sterling would be likely to get a great deal more playing time as a back-up for the injury prone Aaron Lennon than he currently is at Anfield.

At the very worst, he would get loaned out to another club to gain game experience, before being brought back and integrated into Tottenham's squad.

This isn't a transfer I expect to happen at all considering how highly Sterling is rated by Liverpool management and fans but, if it were to happen, Tottenham would benefit greatly from acquiring one of the best English youth products in world football.

Bruno Uvini

To be honest, I have no idea why Tottenham thought it would be a good idea to sign Bruno Uvini on loan from Sao Paolo around mid-February, as he was unable to play in first-tem fixtures.

Many have spoken highly of Uvini, but his inability to become a starter at Sao Paolo prior to his loan move definitely speaks to the fact that it might be too early for him to move to Europe.

That's why I'm only advocating that Spurs sign him if he makes Brazil's Olympics squad, and he performs well in the tournament.

Currently, Uvini is on a 54-man shortlist for the tournament, but with that list still needing to be cut down to 35 and finally 18, Uvini's odds of playing in the Olympics aren't very good.

If he can make it on Brazil's plane to London 2012 and perform well, he may be worth spending some money on even if Spurs are extra-loaded at center-back.

If not, Tottenham should simply cut him and look elsewhere for summer signings.

Fabian Speiss

If there's one position where Tottenham need a good youth player, it's at goalkeeper.

Carlo Cudicini and Brad Friedel are currently getting the job done, but they're both at the end of their careers and Tottenham need to have someone ready to step up when either of them retires.

That someone could be Fabian Speiss, Notts County's highly-rated German goalkeeper. The 18-year-old has reportedly been closely watched by Manchester United, as well as Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Here's the thing: Of those four teams, only Tottenham can offer Speiss the chance to become the team's first-choice goalkeeper in little more than a couple of years. Arsenal, Man U, and City all have established young 'keepers in goal, Tottenham does not.

Again, like Ramirez, I know little to nothing about Speiss. However, if he's as good as the head of youth development at Notts County says, he may be a very worthwhile acquisition for Tottenham.