Sheffield Wednesday can get what Ipswich Town didn't by sealing Spurs transfer | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to see a better version of transfer target Dane Scarlett than Ipswich Town after his frustrating spell in Suffolk.

It has been a busy start to the summer for Sheffield Wednesday, but it seems they are not done in the transfer market just yet.

It was a nightmare campaign for Wednesday last season as they were relegated from the Championship and spent over six months in administration after former owner Dejphon Chansiri's exit, but a new era is underway at Hillsborough under new owner David Storch.

Sheffield Wednesday plotting Tottenham Hotspur transfer raid for Dane Scarlett

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Storch may only have been in charge of Wednesday for three months, but he has certainly had plenty of work to do in the early stages of his tenure to clean up the mess left behind from the disastrous end to the Chansiri era.

As the Owls look to build a competitive squad ahead of their return to League One, they have made 12 new signings this summer, with Joe Lumley, Connal Trueman, Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Ricardo Santos, Sil Swinkels, Jordi Liongola, Billy Mitchell, Callum Slattery, Barry Bannan, Louie Barry, Harry Gray and Mason Burstow all arriving at Hillsborough.

Burstow became Wednesday's latest addition when he completed a season-long loan move from Hull City on Friday, and having scored 12 goals during his loan spell at Bolton Wanderers last season to help them to promotion to the Championship, he could provide Henrik Pedersen's men with some much-needed firepower at the top end of the pitch.

However, it seems the Owls are keen to bolster their forward line even further, with The Wednesday Word claiming this week that the South Yorkshire outfit are interested in Tottenham Hotspur striker Dane Scarlett.

Dane Scarlett's Ipswich Town spell may ring Sheffield Wednesday alarm bells

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Scarlett became Spurs' youngest-ever player when he came off the bench in a 4-0 Europa League victory over Ludogorets Razgrad in November 2020 at the age of 16 years and 247 days, and he has made 27 appearances for the Premier League side so far, scoring one goal.

The 22-year-old has also had a number of loan spells away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent years, the first of which came with League One side Portsmouth in the 2022-23 season, where he scored six goals in 40 appearances.

Despite not being a prolific scorer at Fratton Park, Scarlett then joined Ipswich Town on loan in the summer of 2023 following their promotion to the Championship, and it looked like an exciting move for the striker to become part of Kieran McKenna's ambitious project at Portman Road.

However, Scarlett endured a frustrating spell in Suffolk as he made just 12 substitute appearances and failed to register a single goal or assist, and having failed to break into the team, it was little surprise when he was recalled by Spurs in January.

Scarlett was given another Championship opportunity by newly-promoted Oxford United in the summer of 2024, but just as with his Ipswich stint, his time at the Kassam Stadium was cut short in the winter transfer window after netting four goals in 22 games.

In an attempt to reignite his career, Scarlett made the switch north of the border in January to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian, but he scored just one goal and provided one assist in 13 appearances at Easter Road, although his strike did prove to be the winner for David Gray's side in a 2-1 victory at Rangers in May.

Sheffield Wednesday will hope to give Ipswich Town transfer envy with Dane Scarlett deal

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In truth, all of Scarlett's loans to date have been underwhelming, and he has not had a breakout spell with any of his temporary clubs, so his signing would be something of a risk for Wednesday.

However, the fact that Scarlett has been retained by Spurs after each of his disappointing loan stints suggests that they still have hope that he could become a future star and fulfil some of the potential he showed in the early stages of his career.

Indeed, Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi opted to include Scarlett on his side's pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, and the striker scored the opening goal in a 2-0 victory over Auckland last week.

It should not be forgotten that Scarlett is still only 22 years old, and having gained plenty of senior experience through his various loans, he may now be ready to explode into life and prove why he is so highly rated by Spurs.

If Scarlett was to make the move to Hillsborough, it is likely that he would be rotated with the likes of Burstow, Gray, Jamal Lowe, Charlie McNeill, Will Grainger and George Brown, rather than being expected to lead the line every week for the Owls, which could give him space to develop without too much pressure on his shoulders.

Scarlett's track record suggests he may not be the clinical finisher who can fire Wednesday to promotion, but he could be a useful option to have in the squad, and he would no doubt be keen to send a message to his former loan clubs.