Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Tottenham terminate dreadful loan deal, as manager hints what’s next for underused star
Tottenham have prematurely pulled the plug on a loan deal that was not working out for any involved, and what Spurs plan to do next with the underused star has been strongly hinted at.
Tottenham sanctioned no fewer than eight loan exits for first-team stars in the last summer transfer window. Joe Rodon has been the biggest success of the eight, with the Welsh centre-back becoming an instant hero at promotion-chasing Leeds United.
However, the story was different for others on the list, not least 19-year-old striker, Dane Scarlett.
The youngster joined Championship side Ipswich Town on a season-long loan on August 31.
Scarlett is a product of Spurs’ youth academy and has been capped at various youth levels for England. Scarlett truly hit his straps at Under-19 level when bagging 12 goals in 14 appearances.
As such, hopes were high a fruitful loan to Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich would fast-track Scarlett’s development at club level.
However, Scarlett’s 12 appearances in the Championship have totalled a measly 147 minutes. The frontman hasn’t started a single league match for the Tractor Boys and has been an unused substitute on six occasions.
Nonetheless, Scarlett’s lack of impact clearly hasn’t hampered Ipswich who currently sit second in the table.
Ipswich don’t appear to need the striker all that much, while a lack of minutes is doing the player’s development no good either.
Furthermore, Tottenham are also losing out given one of their hottest prospects is in the midst of what amounts to a lost season.
Eyebrows were raised when Scarlett was not included in Ipswich’s matchday squad for their clash with Leeds on December 23.
Explaining the striker’s omission post-match, manager McKenna revealed Tottenham were in talks over recalling the frontman.
Tottenham pull the plug; McKenna hints at future plans
Now, according to both Tottenham and Ipswich’s official websites, Scarlett’s unsuccessful loan spell has been terminated.
One might expect Spurs to explore another loan opportunity involving a club where Scarlett will play more regularly.
However, McKenna strongly hinted Scarlett will be retained in north London to add depth to Ange Postecoglou’s frontline.
“Tottenham have injury issues at the moment and they have their main forward going to the Asian Cup,” said McKenna.
Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are long-term absentees for Spurs. As McKenna mentioned, Son Heung-min will also be missing in early-2024 when going for glory with South Korea at the Asian Cup. That tournament takes place between January 12 to February 10.
As such, it now appears Scarlett will remain with Tottenham as an extra layer of depth for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign.
DON’T MISS: Tottenham transfer tactic to win race for £25m midfielder revealed after previous success