Tottenham have outmanoeuvred London rivals Arsenal in the deadline day battle to secure Hearts striker James Wilson. The 18-year-old is poised to head south this afternoon to finalise a loan agreement at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the conclusion of the current season.
The surprising development follows Arsenal’s approach to arrange a comparable deal over the weekend. The Premier League leaders made preliminary contact with the Tynecastle hierarchy to register their interest in bringing the youngster into their academy setup until the end of the season.
The Daily Record claim that Arsenal sought to assess Wilson closely by providing him with consistent playing opportunities in their Under-21 side before determining whether to table a permanent bid.
However, earlier today, they revealed that the Scottish Premiership outfit had declined to sanction the transfer without a substantial fee being settled in advance.
Those discussions remained stalled for 24 hours, allowing Spurs the opportunity to surge ahead in the race.
Tottenham have agreed to pay a substantial upfront loan fee whilst finalising terms for a potential sum should they opt to make the switch permanent this summer.
Spurs have agreed to terms that give them the option to purchase Wilson permanently, with no obligation to complete the transaction. But their readiness to guarantee the potential financial boost has been sufficient to persuade Hearts into sanctioning a deal for a player who has already earned recognition with Scotland at senior international level.
Derek McInnes would have been content for Wilson to remain at Hearts and compete for a starting role as they pursue a historic championship triumph.
However, the youngster has spent the majority of the campaign on the substitutes’ bench, with McInnes favouring more seasoned alternatives to spearhead his forward line.
McInnes now appears destined to be one attacking option lighter for the rest of the season, with no suggestion that the manager will receive support to bring in Wilson’s replacement before the Scottish transfer window shuts at 11pm.