Alex Jones, who covers Ipswich Town for The East Anglian Daily Times, has admitted that Dane Scarlett has not made the expected impact at the Championship side this season, and is likely to continue warming the bench for a while.
Scarlett is very highly thought of at Spurs, with many considering him to be a future first-team prospect.
In fact, Ange Postecoglou even brought on the striker in the second half of the Carabao Cup clash against Fulham back in August and remarked at the time that he had been impressed by the teenager in training (Football.London).
The Spurs academy graduate’s loan spell at Portsmouth last season was less than ideal and he would have hoped to have more success at Portman Road Stadium.
However, while Parrot has shown some glimpses of his talent with the Tractor Boys, he has had to be largely content with a few cameo appearances off the bench.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 6: Dane Scarlett of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring with Emerson of Tottenham Hotspur during the pre-season friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Shakhtar Donetsk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 6, 2023 in England. (Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
Jones has now spoken to Football.London about the 19-year-old’s spell at the Championship club and whether his fortunes are expected to change anytime soon.
When asked what he has made of Scarlett’s start to the season, he responded: “It’s been frustrating, more than anything. Fans were optimistic that he’d have a big impact, with Kieran McKenna previously highlighting his ability ahead of Ipswich’s game against Portsmouth in League One last season.
“However, some saw the loan as a slightly bizarre move given that he would face fierce competition, with George Hirst, Freddie Ladapo and Kayden Jackson all fighting over the lone striker role.
“He’s shown brief glimpses of real quality and he doesn’t look at all out of place in the Championship, but the nature of his cameo appearances have been really tough.
“He’s doing almost everything that Ipswich are asking of him at the moment, but truthfully, that’s not a lot, which must be frustrating for him.”
When asked why he has struggled to get game time, Jones said: “It hasn’t helped that he’s been cup-tied for the Carabao Cup. He would’ve been an easy pick to start against Wolves or Fulham, but having played against the Cottagers for Tottenham earlier in the competition, he wasn’t eligible.
“Other than that, it’s the fact that McKenna has a very set team. Hirst is the clear first-choice striker while Ladapo boasts loads of EFL experience and Jackson is a unique player because of his pace.
“Scarlett doesn’t really have any of those things, albeit that his versatility makes him a useful option off the bench. We’ve seen him come on as a winger and even a No. 10 in recent weeks.”
When asked how the Tottenham youngster has done in his limited game time, the journalist said: “He hasn’t set the world alight, but I don’t think that’s totally his fault.
“His cameo appearances have often come at bad times, with Ipswich either trying to see out a lead or get back into a game. They’re good at coming from behind to draw or even win, but Scarlett is rarely involved in those moments.
“He’s fast and agile, but perhaps lacks some of the key characteristics that a striker needs in the Championship. He isn’t a ruthless finisher and lacks strength, meaning that he can be marked out of games by dominant centre-backs.
“Bizarrely, Town’s strikers often aren’t the ones to find the back of the net. Hirst, who’s featured in 15 league games, has scored just four goals, which has seen him receive some harsh criticism at times.
“This is the same number as versatile winger Marcus Harness, who’s started just twice in the league this season.
“On the other hand, left winger Nathan Broadhead and attacking midfielder Conor Chaplin have both scored six goals each. Scarlett has played just over an hour in the last five games, but he hasn’t had more than 12 touches in a single match in that time.
“His performance against Birmingham was the exception, where the Blues were 2-0 down heading into the final 15 minutes.
“He played a big part in both of Harness’ goals, which earned a 2-2 draw at St. Andrew’s, but his contributions were somewhat swept under the carpet due to the fact that he wasn’t the one that scored.”
Finally, when quizzed on whether he expects things to change for the forward, Jones quipped: “Possibly, but not drastically. Ipswich’s fixture list is about to take a turn for the worse, with December set to be a horrific month.
“The Blues will face their first East Anglian Derby against Norwich City since they were relegated to League One in 2019, and this is their best chance of beating them for the first time in 14 years.
“After that, they head to promotion rivals Leeds United before hosting league leaders Leicester City on Boxing Day. They’ve also got some long trips to Middlesbrough and Stoke City around the festive period, which won’t be easy.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Tottenham would have expected Scarlett to have got a lot more starts by this point in the season, particularly given that Kieran McKenna knows the youngster well from his time at Spurs.
If things do not change for the 19-year-old at Portman Road Stadium, I expect the North London club to recall the striker in January and loan him to a different side.
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