Tottenham Hotspur’s January ‘Arsenal hijack’ doesn’t appear to have panned out, with James Wilson set to return to Hearts after his initial loan spell ends.
Tottenham Hotspur haven’t had much to gloat about with Arsenal in recent months, but their fans thought they’d got one over on the Gunners when they signed James Wilson from Hearts at the end of the January transfer window.
Arsenal had reportedly been in for Wilson, looking to sign him on a straight loan, which would effectively function as a trial period.
But Wilson ultimately joined Spurs instead, as they were offering a loan with an option to buy, giving him a greater chance of getting a permanent summer move.
Arsenal’s pursuit may also have been affected by their decision to sign Evan Mooney from St. Mirren that same day, making Wilson’s signing less important. But that didn’t stop some Spurs fans rubbing in their club’s ‘hijack’.
Yet things haven’t panned out exactly as Wilson and Spurs might have hoped. Barry Anderson reports for the Edinburgh Evening News that Wilson is poised to return to Hearts, as Spurs don’t plan to activate their £2.5m purchase option.
With Spurs’ terrible season leaving them still at risk of relegation as we head into the final week of the season, the suggestion is that they may need to cut costs this summer.
Wilson made 11 appearances for the Spurs u21s, scoring four goals (including one penalty) and assisting one. With Spurs suffering a 3-1 elimination from the Premier League 2 play-offs by Brighton, their academy season is now over.
The striker also made the bench for the Spurs first team on a couple of occasions, including against Arsenal. But he didn’t make a senior appearance, and he hasn’t been in the first-team squad for two months now.
The expectation is that the 19-year-old will return to Scotland this week, where he may yet extend his contract beyond his current deal to 2027.
- Jose Mourinho left fuming as Vinicius Junior ban appeal rejectedJose Mourinho was left fuming after the decision to hand summer Arsenal target Vinicius Junior a four-match ban in midweek, with the winger to miss El Clásico.
- Ex-Spurs star defends former Arsenal midfielderRafael van der Vaart has defended Fabio Vieira after a slow start to the midfielder’s second spell with Hamburger SV, who sit a few points clear of relegation in the Bundesliga.
- What Mikel Arteta really said about Arsenal’s job cutsMikel Arteta has been widely misquoted by the media whilst talking about Arsenal’s decision to cut 60 jobs, with his words taken out of context to paint a different picture.
- Arsenal summer signing shines in 2-1 u18 north London derby winArsenal summer signing Mylo Bernard scored a brace to help his new team come from behind to win the north London derby, despite two goalkeeper injuries.
- Arteta explains why Saliba was left out of team photoMikel Arteta has explained why William Saliba was left out of Arsenal’s first-team squad photo, adding that they intend to take another one at some point.