Who is James Wilson? Tottenham beat Arsenal to sign Hearts teenage sensation

The Tynecastle talisman 

Hearts may be set to have a dramatic end to their January transfer window. Following earlier reports from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano suggesting that Premier League giants Arsenal were set to sign James Wilson, but the player has now joined their North London rivals, Tottenham. Spurs have announced his signing on an initial loan deal, with an option to buy. But why were two of the Premier League’s biggest clubs fighting over the Scottish striker?

Set to turn 19 next month, Wilson has understandably had very little senior football to offer up as an explanation behind Arsenal and Tottenham’s interest in signing him. However, that’s not to say that he isn’t a prospect that deserves a potential move to a big English club. The centre forward first started making waves in Hearts’ youth teams, where he bagged an impressive 14 goals and six assists in just 26 games in the Scottish Lowland League (the fifth tier of Scottish football) at just 16 years of age. He then began the following season with five goals in nine league games, before earning a call up to the senior squad. Over the course of the rest of last season, Wilson picked up six goals and three assists across 32 largely substitute appearances, averaging a respectable 0.53 goals and assists per 90 minutes of football and notably scored a dramatic equaliser in the Edinburgh derby against Hibs.

However, Wilson’s impressive rise to prominence in Scottish football hasn’t just come about solely from his performances in the maroon of Hearts. The young striker also worked his way through Scotland’s youth teams, bagging eight goals in 14 games for his nation’s youth teams. These, notably, included four goals in five games for the U21 side, as they marched through the qualifying campaign for the Euro U21 championships last year. Such were Wilson’s impressive performances for the team that it caught the eye of Scotland manager Steve Clarke, who then gifted Wilson with the honour of becoming the youngest ever player to earn a cap for the Scotland national team, when he came on as a substitute against Greece last May at the age of 18 years and just 17 days.

“Wilson is widely viewed as one of the best young talents to emerge at Hearts across the last few decades,” noted Euan Robertson, Transfermarkt’s Scottish Premiership expert. “The Jambos fought off competition from Celtic, Rangers and various English Premier League sides to convince him to sign a new contract in 2025. The promise of first-team football was integral to his decision but that’s really dried up this season. Derek McInnes hasn’t entrusted him and he’s well down the pecking order.”

But what kind of player is Wilson and would he be suited to English football? “He’s a natural finisher, which is probably his best quality and he was prolific at youth level,” added Robertson. “He can link up play well and is technically sound. He’s grown considerably across the last few years but needs to add muscle – especially if he’s to make it in England. It’s quite a bizarre move for Arsenal or Tottenham, albeit no risk, as I don’t view him as good enough to become a starter for one of the best clubs in the world. I view him similarly to fellow Scot Rory Wilson, brilliant at youth level but struggled to step into senior football with Aston Villa, so far.”