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In search of regular minutes, the opportunity to join Spurs came about for Wilson in January, initially playing for their academy side with the chance to win a permanent summer move to North London worth £2.5 million.

As Spurs under-21s faced West Ham today, the 19-year-old put his side ahead with a smart, first-time finish from close range after being played through one-on-one.

It was Wilson's third goal in six appearances for Spurs' under-21s.

When the striker joined the English Premier League club, Hearts head coach Derek McInnes stated: "James wanted to go, that has to be said.

"So you don't want to keep a player who then becomes unhappy. I couldn't guarantee him minutes, such as the way it's been.

"I told him, his agent knew that our preference was to stay, fight for your place, be part of something, 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.

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"His head was turned with the Tottenham thing. First of all, it was Arsenal, then Arsenal went quiet and then all of a sudden Tottenham came to the table

"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.

"So, like I say, we made it clear that our preference was for him to stay and be part of something here. But 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."

The talented young striker had been on the periphery for Derek McInnes' side after playing more of a role, and scoring six goals as he announced himself as a Hearts first-team player.

That form even led to him being capped by the Scotland senior team as he became the country's youngest ever player, at the age of 18 years and 17 days, when he came on against Greece in a Nations League play-off match.

However, with his lack of first-team football this season, the 18-year-old wanted to go out on loan to get minutes under his belt.

That's when the chance to join Tottenham came about, initially playing for their academy side with the chance to win a permanent move which would earn Hearts an initial £2.5 million.

After completing his move on deadline day, Wilson made his debut for Spurs under-21s in a 4-0 win against Birmingham City, playing 77 minutes but not scoring.

However, he did find the net against Norwich City this evening, and did so after just 61 seconds.

Again leading the line from the start and wearing the No.9 shirt, he gave his side a first-half lead before they went on to win 3-1.

A video of the goal shows the Hearts loanee staying long and stretching the game as his team-mates build from deep, and that allows him to get on the end of a low cross before steering it back across the goalkeeper.

The teenager completed a shock deadline day move to London on an initial loan with the Premier League club holding the option to buy the forward.

It's understood Spurs paid a six-figure fee to bring Wilson to the club on an initial loan; they would pay £2.5m should they make the deal permanent with a sell-on also included in the deal.

In his first interview after making the move, Wilson discussed a busy deadline day, his first impressions of being at Spurs, and not always being a striker.

You can read the full transcript below.

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James, welcome to Spurs. It's wonderful to have you here. Can you just try and put into words what it means to be to at Spurs?

"Yeah, I'm buzzing. It happened so quickly for me. Deadline day was a real, it was a busy day. It all happened so quickly, and then yeah, it's nice to be here. I'm buzzing to be at Spurs."

Have you been to London before?

"I've been to London but not properly to visit really. Used it as a kind of travelling base."

So this is a real new experience for you. How do you feel about the idea of moving out, new club, new lifestyle. Have you had a chance to think about any of that yet?

"Yeah, I mean it'll be the first time leaving home so even that will be a challenge, just getting used to me having to cook for myself, having to clean for myself. But yeah, I think it'll be, it's a great opportunity for me. A new environment. It's a big thing. I've been at Hearts since I was nine. So getting this environment, of just trying something different, and yeah, hopefully make the most of it."

Tell me what was your first impression when you arrived at Spurs?

"So many people. Even the training ground, I'm going to struggle with names to start off with. Yeah, I mean the training ground is incredible. It looks so new. The pitches look incredible. I mean, I'm loving the kit, everything about it, it looks amazing."

Amazing. Can we get a little bit of an insight into you as a player? There have been so many people that I saw straight away at the moment that you signed. Spurs fans everywhere sharing lots of your highlights, sharing lots of your clips, but try and explain who you are as a player in your own words.

"Yeah, I think I would be someone who wants to get in the box and score goals. I like to think my movement's pretty good, movement behind. So I think for every game I play, that would be come link the play, running behind and hopefully score goals really."

Have you always been a forward?

"No, actually, that's a good question. I've played everywhere. Started off as a winger very young and then moved to right-back, centre-back, just covering positions for older age groups, done okay and ended up staying there for a few months and then gradually just moved further forward, went into centre-mid, then started playing attacking and fielding and ended up at the top somehow."

What do you bring away from the football? What are you like as a person and how do you hope to fit into the culture here as well?

"I would say I'm quite confident in my own, but I'd be pretty relaxed. I'm quite happy in my own space, quite happy being home, looking forward to moving out by myself, that'll be cool. But yeah, I'm just going to come in here, work really hard, do everything I can to be as good as I can and hopefully make the most of it."

Tell the fans what it was like to play for Scotland and get your first experience. You're so young, but to be in that environment, to be amongst a group of players with that mentality, it must have been an amazing environment to be a part of.

The 18-year-old completed a loan switch to Spurs on transfer deadline day on Monday. He joins their Premier League 2 side, where he will try to earn a permanent deal.

A fee of around £2.5million has been agreed between the two clubs, should Spurs want to take up the option in the summer.

Wilson was keen on a move in the window.

He had been limited to just 10 appearances this season after an impressive pre-season and Premier Sports Cup group stage campaign, starting three of the four games and scoring twice. He then fell behind Claudio Braga and Landry Kabore in the pecking order, starting just one league game.

While understanding of the teenager's position, McInnes wanted Wilson to stay and even go out on loan in Scotland with a view to being recalled.

"James wanted to go, that has to be said. So you don't want to keep a player who then becomes unhappy. I couldn't guarantee him minutes, such as the way it's been," he said.

"I told him, his agent knew that our preference was to stay, fight for your place, be part of something, 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."

Deadline day saw Arsenal and Spurs competing for Wilson's signature, with the latter winning out in the transfer tussle.

McInnes believes he is better than playing Premier League 2.

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"His head was turned with the Tottenham thing. First of all, it was Arsenal, then Arsenal went quiet and then all of a sudden Tottenham came to the table [Monday afternoon]," he said.

"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.

"So, like I say, we made it clear that our preference was for him to stay and be part of something here. But 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."

The teenage striker joins on an initial loan deal from Heart of Midlothian, with the Premier League side holding an option to make the deal permanent.

A seven-figure fee has been agreed between the clubs, should Spurs wish to take up the clause.

It is understood Spurs will pay a six-figure fee to bring Wilson to the club on loan and will pay around £2.5million to make it permanent. It would also include a sell-on clause as is standard nowadays.

It completes a whirlwind 24 hours, which started with interest from Arsenal. The Premier League leaders approached Hearts and had discussions over a short-term deal that was effectively a trial for the 18-year-old.

Spurs, however, jumped to the front of the queue following talks with Hearts over the deal which included a clause that would allow the Londoners to sign Wilson permanently if the loan goes well.

The teenager will join up with the Spurs under-21 side, who compete in Premier League 2.

Wilson, who is under contract, has found game time hard to come by at Tynecastle Park with Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga the preferred duo, netting 28 goals between them. Following Shankland's injury, which could keep him out until March, Landry Kabore has stepped into the role as the team's focal point, scoring twice in the 2-0 win over Dundee United.

It has meant Wilson has been restricted to 10 appearances despite impressing in pre-season. The player has been keen to play regular football and was hopeful of a loan move this month.

It followed a breakthrough season where he featured more than 32 times, scoring six goals and earning a Scotland debut in March.

What Hearts said:

"James Wilson has completed a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur.

"The 18-year-old heads south to join the English Premier League outfit’s U21 side until the end of this season, subject to international clearance and Scottish FA approval.

"The terms of the loan move include an option to buy, for an undisclosed fee, on Spurs’ part.

"James rose to prominence last season with an Edinburgh derby strike and went on to win a full Scotland cap.

"He’s pulled on the maroon jersey on 45 occasions, scoring eight goals.

"Everyone at Hearts wishes James the best of luck at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium."

Dave Mackay will be honoured by players who featured in the centenary match between the sides in 1974. He is a legend at both clubs due to his exploits which saw him win the league on either side of the border, as well as a Scottish Cup, two Scottish League Cups, three FA Cups and the European Cup Winner's Cup.

Mackay was one of the seven players included in the Hearts Hall of Fame when it launched in 2006. And he was one of 12 to be inducted into the Spurs equivalent when that launched in 2004 after Bill Nicholson, Mackay's manager at White Hart Lane, became the first.

The Hearts Hall of Fame describes Mackay as "probably the most complete midfield player that Scotland has produced, Dave was a tough ball winner, a skilled passer and a regular goal scorer".

He moved to Spurs in 1959 after six years of wearing the colours of his boyhood club.

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"Prior to kick-off, as part of the club's 150th celebrations, players from both sides that featured in the 1974 centenary match between the two clubs will be welcomed onto the pitch, as current players form a guard of honour," the club said.

"The players will then gather round a Dave Mackay roundel, which will be positioned in the centre circle for a minute's applause as both sides pay tribute to a legend of both clubs.

"We kindly ask supporters to take their seats prior to the minute's applause and thank all fans for their co-operation."

The friendly fixture kicks off at 7pm. It will also be shown live on Hearts TV International and PPV for UK & Ireland residents.

Daniel Oyegoke, a very confident but polite individual with a presence, is relishing the chance to rekindle acquaintances with Spurs. When asked to share his experience of facing the men from North London during his time at Arsenal he was more than happy to, providing an honest and forthright answer.

“I faced them quite a few times," he said. "We used to beat them up! It was always a good fixture for us.

“They tried to tell us the importance of the derby when you are young. I’ve never really liked Spurs, so hopefully we can try to beat them up again!"

There could, however, be a familiar and a friendly face amongst the Spurs squad.

“Oliver Skipp is a good few years older than me but I caught him when I was playing for the 21s," Oyegoke said. “Dane Scarlett, who is there at the minute, is a really good friend of mine. I’ve got quite a few friends there as I live near the area.

“They have a good team. So do we though. It’s a game we’ll use to build our fitness and, yeah, hopefully beat them up!"

Oyegoke confessed to not actually being an Arsenal fan, explaining he "just loved my football" and that he "wasn’t really a fan of any team". But such is the North London rivalry he had that mindset ingrained into him.

He joined the Gunners from Arsenal when he was around 14 as a forward who played out wide or through the middle. He soon became a defender and was able to witness the changing of the guard from Arsene Wenger to Unai Emery and then, before joining Brentford, Mikel Arteta.

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“That was the best thing for my development, as soon as I became a defender I started to get involved with England at youth levels and pick up a lot of experiences," he said.

“I look at my time there very fondly. I made a lot of friendships and connections with people who helped me along the way. It was a good club for me.

“I joined at the end of Wenger and then it was Uni Emry. It went on to Arteta. Obviously, I was quite young but I spoke a lot with Arteta. I was involved in pre-season games with them, training and stuff. I had quite a few sessions with him.

“He’s obviously a great coach and you can see the detail he likes to go into, you can see it coming out now in the way Arsenal play. It was good to take what I could from him and hopefully bring it here."

Hearts host the Premier League side on Wednesday night and fans will be able to see the returning Scotland duo as well as the most recent recruit from Costa Rica.

Shankland and Clark returned to training last week having been given time off due to their involvement with Scotland at Euro 2024. Taylor joined up with the squad for the first time on Monday.

"They'll be involved on Wednesday and then they'll follow the first-team schedule from now on," Steven Naismith confirmed.

He added: "Today is the first day that I've seen them and I've not spoken to them about Scotland at all. It was more about their holidays and if they enjoyed their time off, how do they feel personally.

"There will be disappointment, without a doubt, with the way the campaign went. But there's then a lot to look forward to with us this season, being in Europe, the challenge of bettering what we did last season. They seem to be back to their normal ways in training."

Kenneth Vargas will be the last to return to the squad followed his break after the Copa America. He is due back later this week.

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"It's just all down to when their last game was," Naismith explained. "We believe that the players who have been away need time to rest more than fitness. I'm not going to compromise on that.

"He'll be ready for the first game of the season, and hopefully he starts like he finished last season."

Meanwhile, James Penrice won't be involved against Spurs as Hearts continue to ease him back in. The left-back missed the last four months of last season with a hip issue. The new recruit spoke about being cautious when in Tenerife.

"It'll be a week or two before he's back involved in games but that is to make sure he's robust enough," Naismith said. "He's had a stop-start time for the past year and we don't want to risk it for short-term gain. But he's looking really sharp. It's us holding him back."

Alex Cochrane was in attendance but is set to leave after the club accepted a bid from Birmingham City. James Penrice was involved in training in Tenerife but is being cautious as he builds back up from a hip injury he suffered last season.

Beni Baningime, Stephen Kingsley, Finlay Pollock and Calem Nieuwenhof were left out due to wee knocks or injury. None of the four will return for Wednesday's meeting with Tottenham Hotspur with the club waiting to find out more information on Nieuwenhof's hamstring issue.

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Steven Naismith confirmed as much after the Orient match.

"Different things," he said. "Calem has had a wee issue with his hamstring and we're waiting to see the severity of it.

"And the other three Beni Baningime, Finlay Pollock and Stephen Kingsley all have picked up knocks during pre-season, nothing too serious. But whether it is a week or two or whenever it may be, they'll be back in when they're ready."

Zander Clark and Lawrence Shankland returned to training while the team were in Tenerife and new signing Gerald Taylor and Kenneth Vargas are expected to join the squad on Monday.

"They came back last week when we were away and did some testing and a couple of sessions with the B team," Naismith said. "They are back with us come Monday.

"Kenneth's got a wee bit more time off from when he finished as well. The rest side of it is important so they have all been given enough rest because we've got a busy six months coming up."