Agreed. We really need to find ways of overcoming our HG issues. Firstly our next 3rd choice keeper simply needs to be HG, as does our squad replacements once Janssen, Nkoudou, Llorente, Dembele & Sissoko really, minus one or two perhaps. Realistically we need to somewhere find 2-4 decent HG players to compensate for the situation we've got ourselves in whilst trying to get 1-2 top class nonHG in to have a balanced squad. Amazing situationnwe finding ourselves in when we had the most English players starting for the national team at the World Cup.
I still think not classing Dier as Homegrown is a ridiculous rule. Surely trained players & English should be classed as HG regardless of where they felt their nurturing was best. One of those things that would really help us but you've got to play to the rules
Yup that's the funny thing. But 'the most English players' was 100% of our 5 'Club Trained' and 'Trained by other Clubs affiliated with FA' plus Dier but excluding the injured Winks - implying that the standard of English players we have is high. But we need more of them.
Next season Walker-Peters and Carter-Vickers would join the group of Club Trained players - providing they are here - but they have played so little for Spurs first team, despite the former IMO having performed as well as Aurier ever has in his few games.
We have a number of talented players in the Academy, but to come through will need playing time both at Spurs and, quite possibly, on loan - implying Poch needs to play more youth (not necessarily starts) for that to happen.
So I think we can get away with just 2 more HG players for the first team squad needed - who do need to be good so the pool is small (hence why this season we were only linked to Grealish and Cooke and previously were linked to Brook), and then relying on bringing through a few of the Academy top players.
Personally I'm surprised there have not been more rumours of Aurier out of the door (as we have a Walker-Peters ready and waiting so no replacement needed) as otherwise I can see Foyth being left out of the CL squad again due to too many overseas trained players. which I don't think is Poch's desire
Next summer could be interesting if the likes of Dembele and other overseas trained players leave as to whether we can find suitable HG replacements !