Tottenham swoop in to beat bitter rivals Arsenal to loan signing of Hearts teenager James Wilson

Tottenham fended off interest from bitter rivals Arsenal to clinch the loan signing of Hearts and Scotland teenager James Wilson.

The 18-year-old forward had emerged as a shock target for Premier League leaders Arsenal over the final few days of the transfer window.

But Arsenal were effectively offering a six-month trial in their academy, dressed up as a loan deal, that would have offered no financial incentive for Hearts.

That left the door open for their rivals Spurs to swoop in on deadline day and thrash out a deal to take Wilson to North London.

The clubs finalised the paperwork on Monday night and Wilson will now join Tottenham’s Under-21s side, with an option to buy for an undisclosed fee in the summer.

The teenage striker has scored eight goals in 45 appearances for Hearts since breaking into the first-team setup a couple of years ago.

Wilson also made his Scotland debut last year when he came off the bench in Scotland’s Nations League play-off defeat to Greece at Hampden.

But he has found his opportunities more limited this season under Derek McInnes, only making 10 appearances and one start in the Premiership.

Wilson will now make a fresh start with Tottenham. With 18 months left to run on his current deal at Tynecastle, Hearts will pocket a fee should the move be made permanent in the summer.

Speaking earlier this week, McInnes said of Wilson: ‘He’s been restricted with minutes this season. It’s tough to get into the first team at this age.

‘Would we see the benefit of a loan? Yes, to get some minutes.

‘He is a young player. He’s been restricted with minutes this season. It’s well-documented how well Lawrence [Shankland] and [Claudio] Braga have done.

‘Big Kabore has come in and did well for us as well. It’s tough to get into someone’s first team at that age. James had a bit more exposure last season but he’s such a good kid, he trains well.’

Hearts currently sit top of the league and hold a six-point lead over title rivals Celtic and Rangers.

Backed by Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics in their recruitment, they signed Rogers Mato, Islam Chesnokov, Marc Leonard and Jordi Altena over the January window.

The league leaders will be looking to extend their advantage at the top to nine points when they travel to take on St Mirren in Paisley on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson admits the chance to join Arsenal was too good to turn down for Evan Mooney after the 18-year-old left Paisley to join the Premier League leaders.

Robinson said: ‘It’s a fantastic opportunity for Evan.

‘It was a terrific deal for the club as well and we’re very well protected in terms of adds on and sell on should Evan go on to fulfil the potential that we believe he has.’

Saints confirmed it was ‘a substantial fee with potential for significant future add-ons and a sizeable sell-on clause.’