Tottenham academy kid Dane Scarlett is slowly starting to impress on loan at Oxford United
Tottenham had a solid transfer window where they not only invested in some exciting players but also offloaded the majority of the deadwood from the squad.
The Lilywhites have lots of young players and academy talents that need to be nurtured by Ange Postecoglou and his coaching staff. The Spurs gaffer has the great responsibility of helping them realise their true potential at the Hotspur Way. As a result, he allowed some of the academy kids to leave Tottenham on loan in the summer to gain regular minutes.
One of those was Dane Scarlett. The striker has already made 17 first-team appearances ever since making his debut at the age of 16, but Tottenham having splashed big money for securing the services of Dominic Solanke meant he would have not enjoyed regular opportunities this season. Thus, it was in the best interests of everyone for him to go out on loan to newly-promoted Championship side Oxford United.
However, Dane Scarlett endured a tough start to life at Oxford United. He initially struggled to break into Des Buckingham’s starting XI, with Mark Harris leading the attack. Things are starting to fall into place for the Spurs loanee now with two goals in his last three appearances for the Championship side.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson is delighted to see the England youth international finally getting his opportunities at Oxford United. He feels a strong loan spell at the Kassam Stadium could act as a ‘springboard’ to achieve more in his career.
“That’s the reason he went out on loan, to get game time and play. Oxford United have had a good start to life back in the second tier after being away for so long,” Paul Robinson exclusively told Tottenham News.
“They’ve had a mixed bag of results but they’ve established themselves well, and he’s becoming a part of that. He scored so late on against West Brom in another good result for Oxford.
“It’s still early in his time at Oxford but this will do him the world of good and give him a load of confidence. Hopefully, he can use this as a springboard to go on and get more.”
Scarlett started his first Championship game for Oxford on October 22 and it turned out to be a memorable one as he scored in the 1-1 draw with Derby County at home. That followed his late leveller off the bench in a 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Kassam Stadium, once again in the league.
The Spurs youngster did fire a blank in the U’s defeat to Sunderland last weekend but there ought to be inconsistency in his game and he must learn how to bounce back. Scarlett will be desperate to get back among the goals when Oxford host Swansea City on Saturday.
A strong loan in the Championship will certainly enhance Scarlett’s chances of featuring in the first team at Tottenham during the 2025/26 season.