View: Now is the time for young Tottenham star Dane Scarlett to step up
Although just 19, Tottenham striker Dane Scarlett has been on the radar of many involved with the club for a long time.
Having already made his first-team and Premier League debuts for the club, the promising striker now faces a crossroads in his career where he must push to the next level.
It is no secret that many at Tottenham have been excited about Scarlett’s potential for years and the academy product has received some high praise from those with real knowledge of the game.
Former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho showered Scarlett with compliments when he was just 17.
The 60-year-old told The Times a couple of years ago (14 July 2021) “I know he’s still very young, just 17, and it is probably too early for the next World Cup, but Tottenham Hotspur have a striker in Dane Scarlett, who, if everything goes well, is going to be phenomenal.
Mourinho would have had some idea of what he was saying, given the fact that he once managed the player and was actually the coach who handed Scarlett his senior debut. However, since that time, the Tottenham man has yet to really kick on.
He spent last season on loan with Portsmouth in League Two where he managed just six goals in 40 appearances in a switch which didn’t really seem to benefit him. It will be interesting to see how Ange Postecoglou approaches the situation.
With the player set to turn 20 years old this season, he now finds himself at a crucial crossroads where he will be desperate to make a consistent step up.
The potential is certainly there, as the player tore his way through the Under-18s age group, scoring 18 goals and providing four assists in 20 U18 Premier League appearances. Yet sometimes players struggle to make the next step.
Having such high praise placed upon your shoulders at such a young age can sometimes bring unnecessary pressure which halts your development, as might have been the case with Scarlett.
But any conclusions feel premature. His season with Portsmouth was his first full senior campaign and it all might have just been a bit overwhelming. There is talent there and Daniel Levy has credited his new manager with having an “understanding of the importance of the link from the academy,” (Tottenham Hotspur, 6 June).
Now is the time for Scarlett to impress his new manager, make that step up and truly realise his potential.
In other Tottenham news, transfer rumours continue to swirl around one very successful Spurs academy striker.