James Wilson has started to find his feet on loan at Tottenham Hotspur.
The arrival of Wilson was a strange one for all parties, given the fact that he was integrated immediately into Tottenham’s academy set-up.
Wilson abandoned first-team football with Hearts to choose that venture, seemingly with hopes of earning a permanent deal with the Lilywhites.
In the early stages of his loan, it was looking increasingly unlikely that the 19-year-old would get his wish, having struggled for form.
But Wilson has since shown his worth for Tottenham’s Under-21s, making their pending decision a far more challenging one.
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How has James Wilson fared for Tottenham?
Having scored 14 times for Hearts B in the 2023-24 season and then breaking into the first team the following season, Spurs had high hopes that Wilson would do the same in North London.
The latter hasn’t happened yet, but Wilson has started to showcase his quality.
He’s scored in each of Spurs’ last two Premier League encounters, both of which they won by one goal, taking his tally up to four for the season.
Wilson scored with his only shot in the game against Wolves last time out, having had six shots on target all season.
His goal-to-minute ratio places him among the top 29.4 per cent of Premier League 2 strikers.
Should Tottenham retain Wilson?
Much of that may hinge on the outcome of their relegation battle.
If Championship football is coming to North London, then it may be the perfect chance for Wilson to break into the first team and develop as a player.
It would be a low-risk investment either way, and one that certainly comes with potentially huge benefits depending on how he fares in English football.
But for him, he will almost certainly want guarantees over gametime to some extent, which is highly unlikely to arrive if Spurs remain in the Premier League.
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