Tottenham Hotspur are set to part ways with an academy graduate who never quite kicked on after making his debut under Jose Mourinho.
The summer 2026 transfer window deadline is now only around an hour away, yet Tottenham Hotspur still do not appear to be finished with their business.
There have already been plenty of departures confirmed on deadline day, although most have been temporary moves as Spurs look to get several of their younger players regular football elsewhere.
Mikey Moore has joined FC Koln, Souza has moved to Porto, Kota Takai has headed to Sint-Truidense VV, Pape Matar Sarr has joined Juventus and Kevin Danso has completed his move to Sunderland, all on loan deals.
There could now be another departure before the deadline passes…
Dane Scarlett set to leave Tottenham Hotspur permanently
Spurs Web relayed reports last week claiming that 22-year-old Tottenham academy graduate Dane Scarlett was attracting interest from six League One clubs, and one of those sides now appears to have turned that interest into a permanent deal.
Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has just confirmed that Scarlett, who is entering the final year of his Tottenham contract, is set to leave the club permanently for Leyton Orient. Gold has not revealed the financial details of the proposed transfer.
Writing on X, he said: “Understand Dane Scarlett is set to leave Spurs on a permanent deal for Leyton Orient. The striker is in the final year of his contract with the club.”
Scarlett has spent much of the last four seasons developing away from North London, with loan spells at Portsmouth, Ipswich Town, Oxford United and Hibernian, but he has also made occasional appearances for Tottenham’s first team during that period.
The forward scored his first and only senior goal for Spurs during the club’s Europa League campaign in 2024/25, finding the net against Elfsborg. He also scored as recently as last month, when he found the net against Auckland FC in a pre-season friendly.
Dane Scarlett departure could raise fresh concerns at Tottenham
The news of Scarlett’s departure is likely to disappoint plenty of Tottenham supporters given how highly the forward was regarded during his time at Hotspur Way.
Former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho described him as ‘phenomenal’ and backed him to have a great future, and so did his successor Antonio Conte as well, who even labelled him as the ‘best prospect from the academy’.
Given that reputation, supporters could have hoped that Scarlett would at least have been given another loan opportunity rather than leaving permanently, particularly with Richarlison’s future at Tottenham still uncertain.
There was also a case for keeping him around as the third-choice striker under Roberto De Zerbi. Instead, Scarlett now looks set to bring his Tottenham career to an end.
While the club will have their reasons for sanctioning the move, his departure is likely to increase concerns around Hotspur Way over the pathway available to academy players trying to break into the first team.