Tottenham Hotspur fans are hoping that the club makes some real improvements to the attacking lineup, especially with their best forward, Mohammed Kudus, out for what could be months with a recent injury he suffered against Sunderland.
Spurs, though, have other needs besides wingers and even strikers to address this January transfer window, including a deep lying playmaking midfielder and a left footed left back to replace the anemic Djed Spence.
It looks like the first transfer Tottenham could make in the January 2026 window will be a non forward option, specifically a left back. Spurs submitted a minimal bid for top teenage left back prospect Souza from Brazilian club Santos, who proceeded to come close to laughing Tottenham out of the building for offering just eight million pounds.
Tottenham are in negotiations now
But reports have indicated that Spurs are preparing a substantially better offer to sign the biggest defensive gem in Brazilian football, and before that bid has come through to Santos, Tottenham have already secured half the deal.
That's because, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur have just "agreed personal terms" with Souza. Now, there are "negotiations underway" between Spurs and Santos on the transfer fee, with Fab reporting that a "new bid" from Tottenham is about to come through the wire "soon".
Tottenham need a new winger above all else, but they also very much need a new left back. Destiny Udogie has been in and out of the lineup this season due to injury, which is nothing new for the talented Italian international, unfortunately.
Souza is a totally unknown quantity, and there is no way of knowing that he will translate to the Premier League. Spurs will not even know that in the first six months of his transfer, barring a crazy hot start to life at the club.
But we have seen players like Estevao Willian and Endrick perform well at more successful clubs immediately after playing Brazil. It is literally all down to the quality of the player. Pending the price, this is a case of trusting Tottenham's scouting process, and while there is little to trust about this club, signings like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray have shown that this club can get things right when it comes to identifying young talent. Left backs are not cheap and are rare to find, so a bit of a gamble on Souza is not an unwarranted winter deal.