Aston Villa & Spurs strikers set for exits - Huddersfield Town & Reading FC are circling | OneFootball

A number of League One sides, including Reading and Huddersfield Town, are eyeing deals involving Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur’s Dane Scarlett and Aston Villa’s Rory Wilson are being targeted by a host of third tier EFL clubs, including Reading, Huddersfield Town and Leyton Orient.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, the two young forwards are being monitored by a multitude of League One sides ahead of the transfer deadline.

It is set to be a very busy end to the market in the third tier, with several clubs all looking to bolster their forward lines, and it is likely that a lot of loan deals will be sorted in the final days of the window, with Premier League teams waiting until the final moment before letting their young talent leave temporarily.

Scarlett has plenty of EFL experience, having previously spent time on loan with Portsmouth, Ipswich Town and Oxford United, as well as Scottish outfit Hibernian. Meanwhile, Villa youngster Wilson joined Austrian side Sturm Graz on loan last season, where he made just four appearances in what proved to be an unsuccessful stint in the Bundesliga.

Spurs and Aston Villa forwards attracting League One interest

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It’s believed that Scarlett and Wilson could both make the switch to the third tier of English football before the market closes on Tuesday.

Reading and Huddersfield are among the front-runners to sign one of the players, with Charlton Athletic’s Daniel Kanu also on their radar.

Leyton Orient, Burton Albion, Notts County and AFC Wimbledon are also in the mix for the three youngsters, who are all seeking regular game time this season.

Kanu has come through the Addicks’ academy system, and has previously gone out on loan to Southend United and Walsall.

The 21-year-old scored 15 times from 40 appearances in League Two last season, and could now make the step up to League One.

It remains to be seen where Scarlett or Wilson will end up by the September 1 deadline, but a loan move is the most likely outcome at this stage.

Dane Scarlett and Rory Wilson’s loan records examined amid League One interest

Scarlett first went out on loan to Portsmouth in 2022/23, where he made 34 appearances in League One, scoring four times.

He made 32 appearances in the Championship across stints at Oxford United and Ipswich Town, again scoring on four occasions.

The 22-year-old made the switch to Hibs last January after struggling for game time with Spurs, and he contributed one goal and one assist from 13 league appearances.

Meanwhile, Wilson has only had one loan spell so far in his career, where he failed to score in any of his four appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga.

However, sights are set to be lowered to a League One club for his next move, having showed good scoring instincts for Villa at youth level, notably finding the back of the net 16 times in 13 matches at under-18 Premier League level in 2023-24.

Dane Scarlett and Rory Wilson could do well at Reading or Huddersfield

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Scarlett has shown that he can compete at a Championship level in the past, if not find the back of the net with regularity, so a move back to League One for Reading or Huddersfield could be quite promising.

Wilson doesn’t quite have the same track record, but the Villa academy has produced plenty of talented youngsters, and he has the potential to do well.

He is also still only 20 years of age, so has room to grow and improve as a player, and regular game time will go a long way to helping in that pursuit.

But Scarlett is the obvious preferred option if these clubs could have a choice, as he is a better player now than when he was last competing in League One with Portsmouth.