Loan Watch: Tottenham sensation Dane Scarlett struggles on loan at Portsmouth
Despite being one of the highest-rated players in Tottenham’s academy in recent years, youngster Dane Scarlett is enduring a troubling loan spell at Portsmouth.
Since first appearing for Spurs back in 2019/20 in the Under-18s Premier League, the forward has progressed well through Tottenham’s youth ranks, enjoying a standout season in 2020/21 netting 17 goals and picking up four assists in just 16 Under 18s Premier League appearances.
From there, Scarlett progressed to the first team the following season, appearing three times in the Europa Conference League group stages, twice in the FA Cup and once in the Premier League.
However, in the hope of securing regular minutes owing to Spurs’ big-money signing of Richarlison at the start of this season, Scarlett has spent 2022/23 in League One on loan at Portsmouth.
Whilst the Englishman made a slow start at Fratton Park, a run that saw the forward net three goals and pick up an assist in victories over Bristol Rovers, Port Vale and Peterborough may have seen him turn things around, but unfortunately, that wasn’t to be the case.
Since then, Scarlett has yet to find the net again in his following 27 League One appearances, registering just further two more assists leaving him with a more than underwhelming return (Transfermarkt).
Granted, this is no silver lining to Pompey fans who likely won’t see Scarlett back at Fratton Park next season, but for those of a Tottenham persuasion, the forward’s stagnation may not be as worrying as it seems.
Before becoming Tottenham and England’s all-time top goal scorer, forward Harry Kane enjoyed loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich, and Leicester City; failing to seriously impress on any occasion.
Across his four seasons on loan, Kane made 66 appearances where he scored just 18 goals – half of which came in his final season on the road at Millwall (Transfermarkt).
Now 10 years and 273 Premier League goals later, Kane is perhaps the world’s most prolific striker, and whilst it’s hard to envision Scarlett will ever amount to such heights, one poor loan spell doesn’t mean he can’t be valuable to Spurs in the future.
Moreover, with a change in leadership imminent at Hotspur Way this summer, Scarlett could benefit if Spurs were to employ a young, innovative coach that could give him a chance to perform on the big stage.
And if not, like Kane, he may well end up back on the road for another season of EFL football – a prospect that would only be beneficial.
In other Tottenham news, Pedro Porro was left embarrassed in the defeat to Bournemouth.