Dane Scarlett signs first professional contract with Tottenham
By Tom Gott
Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dane Scarlett has put pen to paper on his first professional contract at the club.
The striker, who was eligible for a pro deal after turning 17 on Wednesday, has already managed three appearances for Jose Mourinho's senior side, coming off the bench for late cameos in both the Premier League and Europa League.
We are delighted to announce that Dane Scarlett’s first professional contract with the Club has now been formalised.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 28, 2021
✍️ The contract for the young forward will run until 2023, having been triggered following his 17th birthday.#THFC ⚪️ #COYS
There had been interest in Scarlett from elsewhere, but Spurs took to their official website to confirm that the teenage forward's new deal has now been finalised, with Scarlett committing to the club until 2023.
Mourinho has made no secret of his admiration for Scarlett and admitted earlier this season that the 17-year-old can expect to be a regular part of the Spurs first team next year.
"He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential," the Spurs boss told BT Sport after Scarlett bagged his first assist against Wolfsberger. "He has worked many times with the first team and that gives him a different personality.
"I believe next season he will be a first-team squad player because he has a lot of talent. He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well. He is a striker, a number nine, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and he is very clever.”
After that game, Mourinho also waxed lyrical about Scarlett in his press conference (via football.london), admitting he is expecting big things from the teenager.
"Dane has incredible talent," he continued. "I don't want to speak too much because tomorrow I arrive in the building and the kid's boss is going to kill me. I don't want that so I don't want to speak too well about him.
"I just want to say that he will be 17 next month and I want him to be part of the first team squad next season.
"So this season he is there and here, goes to training sessions with us and matches with the kids of his age and trains there. Next season he has to be a first team player. Immense talent. Very good physical development.
"He's very good, he's going to be very good. I hope that nothing is going to destroy that potential. He must have feet on the ground and head on his shoulders because he has a fantastic talent."