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 less than eight loan departures from first-team stars in the last transfer window of the summer. Joe Rodon has been the biggest success of the eight, and the Welsh centre-back has become a hero in Leeds United’s promotion race.
It’s a different story for the others on the roster, however, adding 19-year-old forward Dane Scarlett.
The youngster joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan on 31 August.
Scarlett is a product of Spurs’ youth academy and has been selected at various youth levels for England. Scarlett has proven her worth at Under-19 level, scoring 12 goals in 14 appearances.
As such, there were high hopes that a successful loan to Ipswich by Kieran McKenna would boost Scarlett’s progression at club level.
However, Scarlett’s 12 league appearances totaled just 147 minutes. The leader did not play a single league game for the Tractor Boys and was an unused substitute on six occasions.
However, Scarlett’s lack of influence has obviously not bothered Ipswich, who have been sitting second in the table lately.
Ipswich don’t seem to want the striker very much, although the lack of minutes doesn’t hurt the player’s progression either.
In addition, Tottenham are also squandering given that one of their promising highs is in the midst of what amounts to a lost season.
Eyebrows were raised when Scarlett was not included in the Ipswich squad for their clash against Leeds on December 23.
Explaining the striker’s omission post-match, manager McKenna revealed Tottenham were in talks over recalling the frontman.
Now, according to the official Tottenham and Ipswich websites, Scarlett’s failed loan spell has come to an end.
One would expect Spurs to explore loan opportunities 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 are injured at the moment and their main striker will move on to the Asian Cup,” McKenna said.
Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are absent for a long time for Spurs. As McKenna mentioned, Son Heung-min will also be absent at the beginning of 2024, when he seeks glory with South Korea at the Asian Cup. This tournament will take place from January 12 to February. 10.
As such, it now looks like Scarlett will be with Tottenham as an extra layer of intensity for the 2023/24 campaign.
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