Sunderland have expressed interest in another promising Premier League striker.
Sunderland kicked off their Championship campaign without a new no.9, as Alexandre Mendy’s transfer saga continues.
The Caen forward is eager to make the move to Wearside, but the Black Cats are becoming frustrated in negotiations with the Ligue 2 outfit.
Eliezer Mayenda was handed a starting spot against Cardiff City and while he looked lively, the general consensus was that he is far from ready to be playing Championship football.
With the Spaniard and teammate Luis Hemir potentially set for loan exits, Sunderland are now looking to bring in another back-up option.
While they are yet to sign a first-choice attacker, they are now looking to Tottenham Hotspur for another young gem.
Sunderland have ‘significant interest’ in Scarlett
The Wearside outfit have already been linked with 19-year-old Will Lankshear, but journalist Michael Graham reported yesterday that they now have ‘significant interest’ in Dane Scarlett too.
The 20-year-old has 29 goals in 42 appearances for Spurs’ youth teams, but has been unable to make his mark on senior football.
Scarlett has had two loan spells in the EFL with Ipswich Town and Portsmouth, but managed six goals in 40 matches for the latter, while he failed to score at all for the Tractor Boys.
The striker was unable to pin down regular minutes whilst out on loan though and is still considered as very highly-rated in North London.
Former Spurs managers Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho both spoke very highly of Scarlett during their stints with the club.
Back in 2021, Mourinho tipped the youngster to become an England international.
He told The Times: “I know he’s still very young, just 17, and it is probably too early for the next World Cup, but Tottenham Hotspur have a striker in Dane Scarlett, who, if everything goes well, is going to be phenomenal. For England, there is lots of promise.”
In 2022, Conte told football.london: “I’m seeing a lot of improvement today in Scarlett honestly if I have to tell you. Seeing that this guy is improving a lot, he’s only 17-years-old but I can tell you that he is a really important prospect for Tottenham.
“He has to be patient and work behind these very important players and continue to work in this way because about Scarlett, I can tell you that I see a brilliant future for him.”
Scarlett hasn’t found the right loan just yet
Scarlett has struggled to replicate his goalscoring form into senior football, but receiving such compliments from two of Europe’s biggest managers must count for something.
The forward struggled to get game-time at Ipswich due to their strength in depth, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be successful elsewhere.
While fans will be concerned due to the failure of Mason Burstow, it is believed that Scarlett would be brought in as a back-up option and would therefore have a lot less pressure on his head.
Regis Le Bris has found success in developing young players and could be really useful for Scarlett’s progression if he was to move to the Stadium of Light.
It seems like a fairly sensible idea if the Black Cats are to still buy a senior striker too, but supporters will be very wary of the fact that is yet to happen.