Tottenham Hotspur defender Souza has barely started life in the Premier League, yet Brazilian media already speculate about his future if the club suffer relegation.
The 19-year-old left-back joined Spurs from Santos in January. However, reports in Brazil claim he could quickly become a saleable asset if the London club drop into the Championship.
That scenario was raised by Bolavip, who link the player’s situation directly to Tottenham’s current struggles near the bottom of the table.
Souza has only just begun his Spurs career. His first start came recently, although the match lasted less than 40 minutes. Micky van de Ven’s early red card forced manager Igor Tudor to change the system, which limited the Brazilian’s involvement.
Even so, the report argues the defender could still be affected by Tottenham’s wider financial situation.
Transfer scenario linked to Tottenham’s league position
Bolavip explain that Tottenham currently sit dangerously close to the relegation zone, with 29 points from 29 matches. The gap to the drop zone is just one point. But this is not news for anyone at this point.
It’s a known fact that relegation would force Spurs to rethink their squad structure. The financial hit of leaving the Premier League would likely trigger player sales.
In that context, Souza is mentioned by the Brazilian press as one possible departure. The logic is simple. He is young, recently signed and still carries strong market value.
The Brazilian outlet states Tottenham could need to sell players quickly in such a scenario. Therefore, newer assets like Souza may become part of that strategy.
Background of the Tottenham signing
Souza arrived in north London from Santos for around £15m (€17m), as we covered at the time.
The deal represented a major sale for the Brazilian club. Santos kept roughly 87.5% of the transfer fee, which amounted to about £13m (€15m).
At just 19 years old, Souza had long been considered one of Santos’ most promising prospects. That reputation helped convince Tottenham to move for him earlier this year.
Also, the money from his sale just helped Santos’ uplift a transfer ban. Spurs have delayed the payment a bit, but the situation ended up positively for the Brazilian side.
Our take: patience may make more sense
Souza is indeed a valuable asset for Tottenham. However, he has not yet had enough minutes to justify the fee paid to Santos.
There are clear signs of talent, intensity and personality. Still, his time on the pitch has been too limited to properly show what he can offer.
Because of that, selling him for a fee equal to or higher than the initial £15m (€17m) would likely be difficult right now.
There is also the financial context to consider. Souza is not among the highest earners in Tottenham’s squad.
For that reason, keeping him during a potential Championship campaign may actually make more sense. Regular minutes and a larger role could allow him to develop properly – and potentially increase his value in the process.