James Wilson told he’s already made dreadful Tottenham error – ‘He’s been badly advised’
James Wilson’s decision to join Tottenham when he did has been heavily scrutinised.
Tottenham secured the loan signing of Wilson from Hearts this week, with an option to make the move permanent in the summer.
The 18-year-old striker became Hearts’ youngest European goalscorer of all time in December 2024 when he netted against FC Petrocub in the Conference League.
Due to some of his achievements at Hearts, Arsenal were also interested in signing Wilson, but Spurs eventually prevailed.
Wilson will now join Tottenham’s Under-21 squad, which has drawn some criticism from journalists around Scotland.
James Wilson slammed for making Tottenham move
Wilson has a lot of potential to succeed at Tottenham, but it is questionable that he would leave Scotland at this stage in his career.
Hearts are in with a chance of winning their first league title since 1960, and to jump ship now for non-senior football has raised eyebrows.
Over the course of last season, Wilson picked up six goals and three assists across 32 appearances in all competitions.
He averaged 0.53 goals and assists per 90 minutes of football and notably scored a dramatic equaliser in the Edinburgh derby against Hibs.
| Stat | Wilson |
| Appearances | 24 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Expected goals | 3.94 |
| Minutes played | 1,279 |
Speaking on the Daily Record Hotline Live on 4 February, Scottish football journalist Keith Jackson was not a fan of the youngster’s move to Tottenham.
He said: “Do you know what my worry is for Wilson? He’s just walked away from a club that is on the brink of something truly historical.
“Might there be a moment between now and the end of the season that Wilson could have scored a goal of monumental importance that would secure his place as a legendary figure in Scottish football.
“And he’s chucked that away to go and play in the academy? He might have got a chance at Hearts, and I think he’s been badly advised.”
Having made his senior debut for Scotland in May 2025, he clearly has a big future, but he has to prove to a lot of people that it was the right decision to join Spurs.
One thing that’s for certain is his impressive career so far, and there is a chance that he could play a part in Spurs’ first-team matches.
Here’s why Wilson can break into the first team
The centre-forward first started making waves in Hearts’ youth teams, where he bagged an impressive 14 goals and six assists in just 26 games in the Scottish Lowland League (the fifth tier of Scottish football) at just 16 years of age.
The young striker also worked his way through Scotland’s youth teams, bagging eight goals in 14 games for his nation in the younger age groups.
Wilson has proved himself to be far too good to play at a level that’s lower than senior football.
Luckily for him, he’s joined Spurs, where a striker seemingly faces a new problem every single week.
Richarlison is currently out with a hamstring injury, while it’s safe to say that Dominic Solanke doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to maintaining his fitness.
It won’t take much for Wilson to be named on the bench of a Premier League matchday squad.
And if he can manage to make an impact during the first opportunity he gets, then leaving Hearts won’t have been a bad thing for his development at all.