Who Is Tottenham And England's Rising Star Luca Williams-Barnett?

WHO IS HE?

Luca Williams-Barnett is one of the hottest prospects in England right now, with many saying he's arguably the best 16 year old in the country. Luca plays in the Tottenham academy at the moment and he is making waves. At just 16, he's already been in with the men's team and the U21's. He is an attacking minded player who resides in either the CAM position or on either wing. Luca is one of very few players who I've seen who is two footed. With Williams-Barnett generally not caring which foot the ball falls to, as he can use both feet. He's already a Nike athlete at 16 and for his club, he is a first year scholar. When Luca turns 17 on October 1st, he will have the option to sign professional terms with Spurs. Upon watching some of Luca's highlight reels, I've noticed a few key strengths that he possesses. He has very good ball carrying, flair and shot variation. The reason I mention these things is because these attributes are key into ensuring he's better than his opponents. Luca doesn't feel challenged when he has a chance at goal, as he has scored a handful of goals from distance in the past. Luca joined Spurs from fellow southerners Luton Town.

LUCA ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

So far at 16, Williams-Barnett has represented England at U15,U16,U17 level. Luca most recently played in the U17 Euros in Albania where England were unfortunately grouped. He was integral towards England qualifying as they had to get through two rounds of fixtures. They matched up against Malta, Latvia and Sweden. With Luca scoring against Malta. They then matched up with Israel, Slovenia and Northern Ireland and England destroyed them. In six qualifying games, England U17s shipped 22 goals which most certainly secured qualification. In his trophy cabinet with England, Luca won the U16 Val De Marne tournament in France fending off Japan, France and Switzerland. Luca is expected to be in the U17 squad for this season also. Representing his country with his Spurs teammates Malachi Hardy and Jun'ai Byfield was a dream come true for Luca.

LET'S TALK ABOUT LAST SEASON

Last season, Luca registered 21 goals and 10 assists in 27 games which is simply outstanding. He ended second on the U18 PL South top scorer table finishing behind Southampton striker Nicholas Oyekunle. And Luca dropped some notable performances last season. He scored 2 in an emphatic 6-4 win over bitter London rivals Arsenal. He netted a hat-trick in a 5-3 win vs Brighton. His best performance however, came in the U18 PL Cup vs Manchester United. He scored a hat-trick and and got an assist in a 4-3 win at Hotspur Way. Although, the game that attracted the world's attention towards Luca was the prestigious U17 Premier League Cup. Spurs faced Charlton Athletic and Luca absolutely stole the show. Spurs won the cup 5-2 with Luca winning man of the match and also scoring a hat-trick at the Lamex Stadium. With Williams-Barnett's 3rd goal going viral on social media as he embarrassed Charlton GK Finley Woodham by leaving him on the ground as Luca rounded him and tapped the ball into an empty net. So as you can see, Luca was unstoppable last season. Last season earned him England U17 callups, Pre Season opportunity and eventually a dream come true moment where Luca signed his scholarship at Spurs.

Luca Williams-Barnett in action for Spurs against Wycombe Wanderers 🌟 pic.twitter.com/jA6YmiyzoY

— The England Academy (@EnglandAcad) July 26, 2025

WHAT'S LUCA DOING THIS SEASON?

With Luca now under scholarship terms at Spurs, he will probably still be getting good minutes with the U18s as he's still only 16. So far in pre season, Luca has already made his mark for Spurs. Luca has played against Portuguese side Portimonense, Enfield Town and Leyton Orient for Tottenham's U21s. With the hopes of just getting experience and minutes in the tank for pre-season, Luca did something absolutely no one was expecting. In the fixture vs Portimonense, Luca scored a hat-trick in one of his first ever games with the team. And you probably thought, surely it can't get better than that as a 16 year old? Well. Luca made his men's team debut vs Wycombe Wanderers at Hotspur Way. And the thing that is so impressive about it, is that he put on a very good display and matched his U18 performances. The thing that people love about him is that he is fearless and is perfectly capable of rising to the challenge of playing against adults. Big things are coming this season.

OPPORTUNTIES OF A LIFETIME

As I've already spoken about, Luca's U18 form was rather extraordinary and that form landed him some unreal experiences. Luca was involved in Spurs' Europa League run three times. He travelled with the squad to face Rangers, Galatasaray and Roma. Tottenham went on to win the Europa League all together defeating Manchester United in Bilbao. Luca can say he was apart of the journey. He was also on the bench in his first ever Premier League game vs Fulham.

WHAT IS LUCA'S PLAYSTYLE?

In my opinion, Luca plays exactly like Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer. I've watched Williams-Barnett a lot of times now. For England and Spurs and his playstyle is brilliant to watch. He plays with no fear he'll try skills that no one else would dare to do. He's one of them players who you can't get near. Luca is a perfect number 10, with his attacking flair and precise finishing. The ambition in front of goal he has is quality with him scoring numerous halfway-line goals last season.

This shimmy and finish 🥶

Award winning 🏆#PLU18 pic.twitter.com/KQ0C7mtU5R

— Tottenham Hotspur Academy (@Spurs_Academy) May 30, 2025

TO FINISH OFF

We can expect to see a big 25/26 season from Luca who I'm sure will tear up the U18 PL South next season however, Luca might be in the U21s next season if he continues like this. And we will some form for England also and possibly a Premier League debut at Spurs. Remember The Name.