Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte says wonderkid Dane Scarlett has ‘brilliant future’ after West Ham win
Speaking after his side’s 3-1 win over West Ham United (h/t Express), Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte predicted Dane Scarlett to have a ‘brilliant future’ in his playing career and said that he was improving a lot.
Conte’s comments came after his team took big strides in their quest for a Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League table, as Son Heung-Min was at the double to put the opposition to the sword.
With this result, Spurs have won back-to-back games in the top-flight after their disappointing loss to Manchester United, and are only now 3 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have played a game less than the Lilywhites.
Scarlett made the bench for the Hammers game but was an unused substitute as talisman Harry Kane ran the show in attack alongside Son, with the Englishman picking up two assists in the match.
“Improving a lot”
The 17-year-old has not made regular appearances for the first team this season, turning out largely for the youth team. Kane is keeping him out of the senior team for now, but Scarlett is widely regarded at N17 to be the next big thing in north London.
Conte confirmed this as well, speaking about Scarlett unprompted after the win against West Ham, saying that the academy product is a really important prospect for Tottenham and that he had a brilliant future ahead of him.
“This guy is improving a lot. He’s a really important prospect for Tottenham. I see a brilliant future for him.”
Despite being relegated to the bench and making do with cameo appearances in the first team, Scarlett seems to have impressed the Italian. Conte is known to be a coach who wants the best players around him, and the young striker seems to be moulded in the same way.
There are very few strikers in the world who can displace Kane from the starting XI of any team, let alone Scarlett. However, given the hype surrounding the teenager, he could very well be the one to step into the England skipper’s shoes in the future.
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At the moment, Conte only has Kane to rely on as a natural number nine and goalscorer to lead the line for the team. A dearth of other senior strikers or alternatives means that Scarlett is touted as the one to provide the talisman competition or support him when needed.
Nearing the business end of the campaign, we can hope that Scarlett gets more opportunities in the first team to prove his worth to Conte. If he impresses, we could very well see him very often next season, leading the line for us and chipping in with goals.
