Scarlett Finding Form On Loan

Dane Scarlett is a young player who many people of Spurs persuasion have high hopes for. The striker has been tipped as a future star, but he’s still got some learning to do and experience to gain, which is why he’s been loaned out several times, with his latest temporary switch proving invaluable.

Scarlett, 20, is an England U20 international who has come through the youth ranks at Spurs. The club recognised the need for the striker to go out on loan and find his feet in the men’s game, with his first loan spell seeing him join Portsmouth for the 2022/23 campaign. In forty appearances in all competitions for the then League One outfit, of which twenty-four appearances were starts, Scarlett scored on six occasions and made two assists.

The following season, 2023/24, Scarlett headed to Ipswich Town on loan in the second half of what turned out to be the Tractor Boys’ promotion campaign back to the Premier League. His playing time was limited to just twelve Championship appearances, with no starts and subsequently no goals. So, getting the next loan right for Scarlett’s development would be crucial.

This season, Scarlett has returned to the Championship, this time on loan with newly promoted outfit Oxford United. While he’s still attempting to force his way into the first team as a regular starter, with three league starts from thirteen so far, he has managed to weigh in with three goals, and they’ve come in his last five appearances.

Scarlett is, therefore, on course to beat the six goals he scored during his stint at Portsmouth, and this could be his most valuable loan yet. The reality is, if Scarlett is to make it at Spurs and become part of the first team in future, he’s got to prove himself capable of performing in the Championship, and he’s getting the chance to showcase his talent with Oxford United.

After being prolific in the Spurs U18s, where he hit twenty-three in twenty-three, Scarlett’s goalscoring has decreased as he’s progressed to the Spurs U23s and then during his previous loan spells. So, getting back on the scoresheet consistently for Des Buckingham’s side could make all the difference.

The next step for Scarlett will be to establish himself as a regular starter for Oxford United, as this means he’s more likely to add to his goalscoring talent between now and the end of the season. His situation is then expected to be reassessed by Spurs in the summer, with a decision to be made on his future.

Scarlett is contracted at Spurs until the summer of 2027, and it still remains to be seen whether his name will be included in Premier League betting online lists for his boyhood club as a first-team regular or if his future will be elsewhere. If things go well this season, then there may be a further loan spell and a desire to see if Scarlett makes further improvements before a decision is made on his future.