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High praise from world-class managers, a comparison to a Manchester United and England striker, and a goal in Europe, are the standouts for one Sheffield Wednesday-linked striker.
According to The Wednesday Word, young Tottenham Hotspur striker Dane Scarlett, 22, is a potential transfer target for The Owls, who need to add more firepower to their ranks ahead of the new League One season starting next month.
Wednesday have made some solid progress with rebuilding their squad this summer but they are still light in forward areas. Let’s take a look at one of the names to have emerged, including his youth career, loan spells and what his previous managers have said about him.
WHAT’S HIS BACKGROUND?
Scarlett came through the Spurs academy and was a regular scorer for all age groups. He has gone on to make first-team appearances in the Premier League and European competitions including the Champions League. He scored his first and only senior Spurs goal in 27 appearances in January 2025 against Elfsborg in the Europa League. He has represented England from under 15 to the under 21s, with his stats again impressive.
WHAT LOAN SPELLS HAS HE HAD?
The forward has gained experience at Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Oxford United and Hibernian. His record at Championship level with Ipswich and Oxford stands at four goals in 32 outings, while he scored four in 34 for Pompey in League One. He spent the second-half of last season at Hibs, making 13 appearances, netting once.
WHAT’S HIS CURRENT SITUATION?
Scarlett is with Spurs in Australia, scoring in their first pre-season game against A-League champions Auckland FC, in a 2-0 win, with Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi using the fixture as a chance to look at some of the youngsters. He was named on the bench for another friendly against Sydney FC on Wednesday morning. Unless he has signed a new contract extension that has not been announced, his deal at Spurs is due to expire next summer. At 22, it could be argued he needs to find a proper permanent home.
WHY COULD HE BE OF INTEREST TO WEDNESDAY?
The Owls are short of striker options, he is a good age and has experience in League One and the Championship. He has been out loan before, so if it was a loan, that would not faze him. His record at senior level may not jump off the page but we quite often hear the phase ‘breakout season’ - when a player has their best campaign to date and starts to show their true potential - so if Wednesday think he has the right attributes then they may not pay too much attention to his previous stints at this level.
WHAT HAVE MANAGERS PREVIOUSLY SAID ABOUT HIM?
When in charge of Tottenham, Jose Mourinho spoke glowingly about him, comparing him to Marcus Rashford, saying: "He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential. He has worked many times with the first-team and that gives him a different personality. He is still 16, 17 soon, and I believe next season he will be a first-team squad player because he has a lot of talent. He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well. He is a striker, a number nine, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and he is very clever.”
Another top boss, Antonio Conte, was also full of praise for him after giving him brief minutes against Leeds United: “I don’t give a gift to my players. I think that Dane is working very hard and he is a really good prospect from the academy. For sure in this moment he is the best prospect from the academy. We have a couple more players who are very good and they are training with us and improving. Dane has to continue in this way and work very hard.
“We are trying also to find the best solution for the training session with him because in the past he had many injuries but he has great potential. He has to continue to improve and to grow and to understand and to think about football. It was a signal for him because he deserved to have this opportunity to play. I repeat I don’t give gifts to anybody. They have to deserve this opportunity.”
And Thomas Frank, who was sacked by Spurs last season, said: “I think he is a fantastic finisher. His finishing is at a very high level, and probably he needs what every player needs and to play games. That is the biggest thing, and right now the competition is tough here. It’s difficult to give him four or five games in a row. It’s not impossible, but it’s difficult. He needs to play games.”