Hearts head coach Derek McInnes has questioned James Wilson’s decision to join Tottenham on loan after Arsenal ‘went quiet’ on a January deal for the striker.
The Gunners had been in discussions to bring Wilson to north London right up until the deadline, before Spurs made a late swoop to land the 18-year-old forward on a six-month deal.
The loan agreement includes an option for the Europa League champions to sign Wilson on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
Wilson made his first-team breakthrough for Hearts midway through the 2023/24 campaign, aged just 16, going on to score eight goals in his opening 45 appearances for his boyhood team.
Last March, Wilson become Scotland’s youngest ever men’s international when he came on as a second-half substitute in the side’s 3-0 Nations League victory over Greece.
Spurs have confirmed that Wilson will join up with Wayne Burnett’s Under-21 squad.
Though widely considered to be one of Scotland’s most promising young talents, Wilson struggled for regular playing time for top-of-the-table Hearts this term, making just one solitary start in the Scottish Premiership against Motherwell.
But when asked about Wilson’s loan move on Wednesday, Hearts boss McInnes felt the teenager should have stayed put and fought for his place in the second half of the season.
‘James wanted to go, so you don’t want to keep a player who then becomes unhappy. I couldn’t guarantee him minutes, such is the way it’s been,’ McInnes told reporters.
‘I told him and his agent, they knew that our preference was to stay, fight for your place, be part of something, we’ll get you a loan in Scotland if need be, if you need to top your minutes up and we can maybe recall you, so you still get the best of both worlds.
‘But his head was turned with the Tottenham thing.’
According to McInnes, Arsenal were the first to make their interest known in Wilson before dropping out of a proposed move on Monday.
‘First of all it was Arsenal, then Arsenal went quiet and then all of a sudden Tottenham came to the table Monday afternoon,’ he explained.
‘I don’t think it’s the right move for him. Ultimately, it’s academy football and I think he’s better than that. But it was something James wanted to do.’
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Despite his doubts over the move, McInnes made it clear he wished Wilson nothing but the best at Tottenham.
‘Like I say, we made it clear that our preference was for him to stay and be part of something here,’ he continued.
‘He made the decision and I hope it goes well for him because he’s a great kid and we’ll see how it plays out.
‘But for us, I just need to concentrate on the players who are here and who want to be here and who want to play their part.’
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