Better late than never! After the 7 pm close of the transfer window yesterday evening, Tottenham Hotspur announced one final signing — James Wilson, an 18-year-old Scottish striker, who joins Spurs on loan from SPL side Heart of Midlothian. The loan is until the end of the season and includes a purchase option. No fee details were provided.
It’s notable that the announcement came from @Spurs_Academy and not @SpursOfficial, because as talented as James Wilson is (and he is), this is not a first team signing. Wilson is expected to slot straight into the U21s with a goal of moving into first team training and possibly a future first team role if Spurs decide to pick up his purchase option.
I’ve never seen this kid play, but from everything I’m reading this is a pretty astute signing of a talented young player. Breaking into a SPL side at age 16 and making 45 appearances for the club by age 18 speaks well of his current ability and his potential. He also has scored eight goals in that period, which is not too shabby. The leap from the SPL (non-Celtic/Rangers Edition) to the Premier League is massive, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see him slot into the U21; Premier League 2 games and training with the first team will be a nice transition. But don’t expect to see him come in as a late game substitute in league games anytime soon.
Look, we’re all ticked off at the status of this window, but let’s not put the cart in front of the horse — whatever else you think about Spurs’ business this month under Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici, James Wilson is another example of the kind of players Spurs should always be targeting — young, talented, and with bags of potential. We’ll see in time how that potential plays out. Welcome to Tottenham, James. Now can we do something about the broccoli-head haircut? Feels like Archie Gray has that market cornered.
