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View: Tottenham loanee Dane Scarlett has hit tough run of form for Portsmouth
Dane Scarlett has been regarded as one of the most exciting youngsters in England and enjoyed a good start in his first loan spell away from Tottenham at League One side Portsmouth.
Four goals in the space of three games at the start of September got the 18-year-old off to a flying start for Danny Cowley’s men. Many assumed after his first senior goals, the striker would become prolific in the third tier.
Sadly, eight League One games have passed since his last strike for Pompey in their 2-1 win over Peterborough on 13 September. This temporary move away from North London was always going to be a learning experience for Scarlett, and right now is the first real test of his career.
He’s in the team to score goals and at present, he’s failing to deliver. Worryingly, his underlying statistics don’t suggest that he will hit the goal trail anytime soon. As per Wyscout, the 18-year-old has an expected goals of 3.53 for the entire season, which is below the four goals he has scored.
This is concerning because his current output indicates that he is overperforming, with just four goals scored. The England youth international must try and get in and around the box more often and look to utilise his excellent finishing ability more often.
In Pompey’s last fixture against Shrewsbury Scarlett was certainly more lively, managing four shots and amassing an XG of 0.25, which is significantly better than what he has managed in recent fixtures.
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Cowley’s side have been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks, with some of their most creative players on the sidelines and this could’ve had an impact on the number of chances Scarlett has received.
Tom Lowery and flying wing-back Joe Rafferty have been out for over six weeks, and their absence has had a dramatic impact on the chances the striker is getting.
Let’s hope his recent uptick in form against Shrewsbury is the beginning of the Tottenham youngster rediscovering his goalscoring touch in a Pompey shirt.
In other Tottenham news, Alex Barker feels that Spence isn’t ready for Premier League football