As Premier League clubs spend close to £1billion this summer in search of instant gratification, Mauricio Pochettino is chasing trophies at Tottenham by following the example of Barcelona.

The record £5.1bn television deal has enabled English clubs to spread their wings in the transfer market. According to financial analyst Deloitte, top-flight sides have already spent a record £880m in this window — already £10m more than the total expenditure 12 months ago.

Ahead of tomorrow’s game against Liverpool, Tottenham are still seeking to improve their squad after signing Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama in the close season and bidding £14m for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.

But Pochettino is interested in more than spending alone. Having worked for 11 years in Catalonia as a player and coach with Espanyol, Pochettino was able to study closely the ideas of prestigious city rivals Barcelona.

While Barca will pay large fees for the finest players, the core of their best recent teams was developed in the La Masia Academy.

Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta all passed through the ‘cantera’ – the Spanish term for youth system — as did Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique, although the latter was bought back from Manchester United. The six have won multiple titles and all but Messi have won the World Cup.

While such talented players are rare, Pochettino believes deeply in the principle. When he arrived at Spurs at the start of the 2014-15 campaign, he quickly gave an opportunity to Ryan Mason, a homegrown midfielder who had been overlooked by other managers. Fellow youth-team players Harry Kane and Nabil Bentaleb also flourished that season, with Kane growing into one of the most proficient forwards in Europe. Though Bentaleb has left and Mason is expected to follow, Pochettino has his eye on the next generation.

There may be more opportunities this season for Josh Onomah, an attacking midfielder, and Cameron Carter-Vickers, a defender. Another attacking midfielder, Marcus Edwards, caught the eye on the pre-season trip to Australia, while midfielder Harry Winks is another highly regarded.

Asked by Standard Sport about the importance of maintaining his club’s identity in an era of unprecedented spending, Pochettino said: “It is very important for us to continue. We only need time. There are a lot of examples and the best one, I think we all agree, was Barcelona.

“They brought through a lot of good players from the academy and they became some of the best players in the world. It is a good example for us.

“Perhaps it is different here as we have a different way of working, and it is important to create our own philosophy, but we continue to believe in young talent. As we always try to bring young talent from the academy, you keep your identity. Tottenham are different from other clubs and for that reason we need to keep bringing players from the academy.”

Tottenham vs Crystal Palace: In pictures 7 show all Tottenham vs Crystal Palace: In pictures 1/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Victor Wanyama heads Tottenham's winner late on (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) 2/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Ledley and Ward marshal Tottenham summer signing Wanyama Getty Images 3/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Pardew and Pochettino share a word ahead of kick-off AFP/Getty Images 4/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Lee is brought down by Rose in the first period Getty Images 5/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Hennessey is alert tothe danger as Janssen springs beyond the Palace defence Getty Images 6/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Vertonghen keeps tabs on Palace midfield man Puncheon Getty Images 7/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Former Tottenham star Townsend on his first return to White Hart Lane AFP/Getty Images 1/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Victor Wanyama heads Tottenham's winner late on (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) 2/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Ledley and Ward marshal Tottenham summer signing Wanyama Getty Images 3/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Pardew and Pochettino share a word ahead of kick-off AFP/Getty Images 4/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Lee is brought down by Rose in the first period Getty Images 5/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Hennessey is alert tothe danger as Janssen springs beyond the Palace defence Getty Images 6/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Vertonghen keeps tabs on Palace midfield man Puncheon Getty Images 7/7 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Former Tottenham star Townsend on his first return to White Hart Lane AFP/Getty Images

There is an equally useful purpose to this policy. Even if an academy product does not establish himself, relative success in the first team elevates his transfer value.

If certain conditions are met, Schalke will pay about £17m for Bentaleb next summer. Andros Townsend was sold to Newcastle for £12m. Chairman Daniel Levy is hopeful of generating about £10m for Mason. Alex Pritchard joined Norwich for £8m before this campaign. Levy will try for a similar fee for Tom Carroll.

If all five deals go through, Spurs will collect nearly £60m for players who cost very little. Spurs have no plans to sell Kane but Levy could name his price. Danny Rose, persuaded to leave Leeds for Spurs as a 16-year-old, also has a high value. It is an effective way for a club to sustain itself.

Pochettino’s preference, of course, is for youngsters to stay the course. He added: “We have good examples like Cameron, Harry Winks, Marcus Edwards, Josh Onomah, Luke Amos, Will Miller, Kaziah Sterling.

“Why shouldn’t we believe that one day they are all in the first team and maybe we will get big success with them? This is always important. We have great potential in the academy and we are all excited for the future.”