Tottenham Hotspur’s Arsenal transfer hijack falls flat

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.

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