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It’s rare when a transfer rumor moves from the realm of ITK to a done deal in the space of an hour, but that’s what looks like happened with Dane Scarlett. In the past hour or so multiple reports have emerged suggesting that Tottenham Hotspur’s young striker Dane Scarlett is heading to League One side Portsmouth on loan for the upcoming season.
The rumors started with various “In the Know” accounts on Twitter. We don’t report on ITK here, but we do track them, because they’re both interesting and morbidly hilarious. Rumors about Dane heading to Portsmouth emerged in the early afternoon here in Eastern Time, and it snowballed from there with regional journalists reporting on it initially. First there was this from Portsmouth News journalist Neil Allen:
I understand #Pompey are closing in on a loan deal for Spurs attacker Dane Scarlett. Talks have been held today.
— Neil Allen (@pn_neil_allen) July 27, 2022
Less than an hour later, we went from “closing in on” to “finalized” with this report from the BBC’s Chris Wise.
I’m told the Dane Scarlett move from Tottenham to Portsmouth is done. It’s a season-long loan deal, as first reported by @pn_neil_allen. Strong feeling at Spurs that the forward could be the next big thing. He’d been linked with Championship clubs. Big coup for #Pompey. #thfc
— Chris Wise (@chriswisey) July 27, 2022
And then! I wrote this article and was 10 seconds away from publishing when the club confirmed it! Holy moly!
Dane Scarlett has joined League One side Portsmouth on loan for the 2022/23 season.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 27, 2022
Best of luck, @DScarlett09
This is a big year for Dane. Fresh off of winning the U19 EUROS with England, where he played a key role in helping the Young Lions to the title, he’s considered the next big thing at Tottenham (with apologies to Troy Parrott) and has almost certainly the young player with the biggest buzz that’s come through the academy since Harry Kane. Jose Mourinho praised him (and even played him a couple of times) but over the past year Tottenham have slow-walked his development.
Portsmouth would be his first loan, and boy howdy it’s a big one. Pompey have dropped to League One from their Premier League and FA Cup winning heyday a decade ago, but it’s still a massive south coast club, one of the biggest in the region, with an incredible supporter base. Dane will have an enormous chance to make an impact at a club that could be a springboard to big things.
Does a successful loan mean that he’s in the first team plans next season? Unlikely. The kid’s just 18 years old, and he will most likely get at least one shot in the Championship if not more. But a loan to Portsmouth is a big, big opportunity for the kid.
I’m super excited for this and for Dane. I hope he crushes it. Play up, Pompey, but only if you give Dane minutes!
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