Tottenham Hotspur have stolen a march on Arsenal after reaching an agreement to sign highly rated Scottish centre-forward James Wilson from Heart of Midlothian, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Most of Wilson’s first-team minutes this season have arrived in the Scottish League Cup, where he has scored twice across four outings. Widely viewed as the brightest young talent in Scottish football, he previously lit up the Scottish Lowland League at the youth level, producing an impressive return of 14 goals and six assists from 26 matches.
His form has carried on to the international stage, too, with the teenager excelling for Scotland’s Under-21s by registering four goals in just five appearances.
At only 18, Wilson has already taken the step into senior international football, earning his first cap for Steve Clarke’s Scotland side last year during the Nations League play-off clash with Greece, becoming Scotland’s youngest ever player at 18 years and 17 days old, breaking John Lambie’s record set in 1887.
According to Romano, Tottenham have reached an agreement for the transfer of Wilson to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this winter.
The journalist adds that Arsenal were heavily linked with the youngster, offering a trial for the youngster to join their youth setup this month.
However, Spurs have now stolen a march on their north London rivals after proposing a direct loan deal with an option to make the deal permanent, which has been accepted by Hearts, according to the report.
Exciting prospect
Wilson is now undergoing medicals at the club before contract signing formalities, as well as unveiling, will be carried out for the Scottish international, Romano adds.
Tottenham’s transfer strategy in recent seasons has involved not only acquiring quality players to strengthen the first team but also investing in promising young talents.
Some of the notable prospects signed by the club include 6ft 5in centre-back Ashley Phillips from Championship side Blackburn Rovers in 2024.
Furthermore, Luka Vuskovic was signed from Croatian side Hajduk Split and has been tipped for a significant role in the first team next season due to his outstanding displays in the Bundesliga for Hamburger.
The trio of Archie Gray, Min-hyeok Yang, and Lucas Bergvall was also signed by the club, with Gray starting at wingback in the 2-2 comeback draw against Manchester City.
Wilson is likely to be used in Spurs’ U21 team as he continues to develop, and he’s tipped to show his prolific goalscoring heroics, potentially leading to a permanent deal in the summer.
