Get ready, because when the Spurs go marching in they will soon have a new gladiator. According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur have reached their hands across the sea and now have full agreement with Brazilian first division side Santos for the transfer of left back Souza. The transfer fee is said to be somewhere in the realm of €15m (£13m).
That feels like a pretty good price for a new defensive sabre for Spurs, especially after Santos rejected an £8m bid last week. Spurs have had a flirtation with a new left back for a while now, since the summer transfer window ended with Destiny Udogie as the only natural left back at the club. The decision to target Souza, a player with only 18 months experience with top division football in Brazil is perhaps a little risky — he’s perhaps not the fairest of the fair — but he’s also been on the radar of a few clubs lately including Bayern Munich. It’s clear that despite a lack of experience he has a certain esprit-de-corps that make him an attractive developmental target, one who can fill in as a backup left back in our loyal legion during injury crises while picking up plenty of rotational minutes. In that context the resumption of Spurs’ interest after having their first bid rejected is a positive, since they’ve clearly had plenty of time to review what he can do.
I happen to think this is the right way forward. In fact, who knows — perhaps Souza might turn into a golden star — the kind of player we haven’t seen since President Garfield’s inauguration and not a charlatan.
The hope is that the deal will be completed over the weekend with an official announcement made early next week, which could put Souza in line to get some minutes when Dortmund come across the Danube to play Spurs in the Champions League in London.
With left back soon to be in place, hopefully Spurs can turn their attention to a revival of midfield and attacking targets, as it’s pretty clear that Spurs still desperately need solid men to the front. We’ll keep an eye on all of our usual sources, including the Washington Post, for further developments.