Tottenham Hotspur have finally struck a deal to sign Pedro Porro…
What’s the word?
That’s according to ESPN, who claim that the Sporting CP wing-back has agreed to sign a deal until 2028 and is set to become their second signing of the January transfer window after securing Arnaut Danjuma on loan.
It remains to be seen exactly how much the Premier League side will pay, though previous reports suggested that the Portuguese giants would only sell the former Manchester City dynamo if his €45m (£40m) release clause was met.
Porro, 23, played in Sporting’s league cup defeat to rivals FC Porto on Saturday evening and was seen waving goodbye to supporters in the stands.
Paratici does it again
Just like last winter, it seems as if Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici has done it again, signing a top-quality player so late in the day.
Last year, the Italian supremo landed both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur on deals from Juventus and both have quickly become instant hits in north London, with their performances some of the best and most consistent.
Porro, whilst likely to command as much as the duo combined, is “perfect for Antonio Conte‘s football” – in the words of transfer guru Fabrizio Romano – and he solves a key issue at right wing-back, where Spurs have trundled along with Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal for far too long.
Indeed, the Spaniard has delivered as many as 26 goal contributions since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, including three goals and 11 assists in this current campaign, via Transfermarkt.
Those returns far exceed that of the aforementioned duo, who have combined for just 11 goals or assists in the same time frame – Emerson (four) and Doherty (seven).
It’s the former who often gets the nod too, so with such a low output it’s no wonder Porro has emerged as a “priority” during this window. The wing-back role is pretty crucial to Conte’s success as not only do they need to defend but in large, they are a key attacking outlet.
This is why the 23-year-old “special talent” – as once lauded by journalist Zach Lowry – is an ideal upgrade and regardless of price, it makes him another Paratici gem this late in the window.
With Porro ranking inside the top 1% of his positional peers across the ‘next eight’ divisions for shot-creating actions, expected assists and total shots per 90, via FBref, there is no denying that the Lilywhites are getting a supremely talented attacking option and one that could spearhead their quest to finish in the top four again.
As such, Paratici has pulled yet another masterclass in the transfer market with this signing, given the evidence above.
AND in other news, Imagine him & Porro: Spurs could end January with a bang by signing “deadly” £26m gem…
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/i2Z3kPD
via IFTTT