How is Dane Scarlett getting on away from Tottenham on loan at Portsmouth? | OneFootball

Portsmouth pulled off a coup when they signed Dane Scarlett on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

The highly regarded striker has been dubbed a ‘wonderkid‘ in the past and made his first team debut in 2020 whilst being prolific for the youth teams.

There has been more exposure to first-team football prior to his loan to the south coast, as he made another nine appearances before deciding to make the move to Pompey.

Regular game time was the priority for Scarlett and Sputs when making the drop down to League One, so with that in mind, with that not being in short supply for the youngster.

The 18-year-old has made 27 appearances so far this season, scoring four goals. Despite arriving in July, Scarlett had to be patient for his first team opportunity, coming off the bench in his first two games.

He failed to find the net in his first seven appearances before scoring three in his next two games against Port Vale, which was a winner, and Peterborough.

He then failed to score in his next ten games, before bagging away at promotion-chasing Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

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ADAM WEBSTER

NEWCASTLE BRIGHTON

It’s not been the experience many would have expected, considering the lack of goals, but he has been trusted to be a regular in the team.

With Portsmouth’s form being inconsistent this season, that certainly wouldn’t have helped Scarlett settle in, nor develop any consistency himself.

There was talk of a recall in January, after Scarlett’s struggles in recent months with Spurs looking at the potential of sending him to a club that will guarantee more game time according to Football London.

That didn’t happen, and Scarlett will get the chance to prove himself under new manager John Mousinho, who replaced Danny Cowley following the latter’s sacking earlier in January.

Mousinho handed the teenager his first minutes under him on last weekend with a start and 86 minutes of action on the left of a front three in the 2-1 defeat at Peterborough United in League One. He did however miss out at the weekend against Barnsley as Portsmouth drew 1-1.

Whilst the loan spell isn’t quite going to plan, it should be remembered that Scarlett is just 18 years old, he’s still incredibly young and this has been a big step up fro him.

Portsmouth are a big club, with a big fanbase and big expectations, which may or may not have impacted Scarlett. This will be an important learning curve for the young striker, whether the loan is a success or not.