John Wenham believes Dane Scarlett is likely to leave Tottenham this summer despite scoring during the club’s pre-season tour.
Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Dane Scarlett is expected to be allowed to leave the club during the current summer transfer window, despite scoring for Roberto De Zerbi’s side in their pre-season victory over Auckland FC.
According to Spurs expert John Wenham, owner of The Lilywhite Rose, the 22-year-old forward has reached a critical juncture in North London. Despite finding the back of the net during Tottenham’s overseas pre-season tour, Scarlett’s recurring struggles to establish goalscoring consistency during temporary spells away from the club have ultimately limited his long-term prospects at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Scarlett first captured national headlines when he made his senior Tottenham debut at just 16 years old under former manager Jose Mourinho. The iconic Portuguese coach famously praised Scarlett’s natural instincts, stating in a 2021 interview with The Times that the young forward was destined to be “phenomenal” for both club and country.
However, transitioning that early promise into senior end-product has proven difficult. Across 114 appearances in senior football, encompassing early cup outings for Spurs alongside various loan spells in the English Football League and Scottish Premiership, Scarlett has registered a total of 12 goals. For a central striker aiming to challenge for a place in a top-four Premier League squad, those numbers have raised doubts within the club’s hierarchy.
Scarlett spent the second half of last season on loan with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian. Although he produced a memorable winning goal against Rangers at Ibrox, he managed only one goal across 13 total appearances for the Edinburgh outfit.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Wenham analyzed Scarlett’s contract situation and explained why a permanent transfer or structured exit is now the most probable outcome:
“Dane Scarlett, I think he has 10 months left on his contract, Spurs may have a one-year option but they haven’t disclosed that.
“He scored in the pre-season game, but unfortunately he does not score goals when he is out on loan.
“He had the loan at Hibernian last season, I think he scored one goal, which was a winner at Rangers, which is quite impressive. He has never got into the knack of scoring goals out on loan, and as a striker that is what you are judged upon.
“I think for Dane, this summer will be his last pre-season with Tottenham, I think he will leave.”
Striking Hierarchy Under Roberto De Zerbi
Within De Zerbi’s current attacking structure, Scarlett sits firmly behind established central forwards Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. With Tottenham conducting significant summer business to elevate the squad’s technical standard, relying on Scarlett as a primary depth option represents a risk the North London club appears reluctant to take.
With less than a year remaining on his contract, an exit before the transfer deadline would provide Scarlett with the opportunity to kickstart his career through regular first-team starts elsewhere, while enabling Tottenham to streamline their squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.
