Journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Athletic has been left thrilled by the Tottenham ‘statement’ signing of Pedro Porro from Sporting CP.
Champions League – Group D – Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting CP© Provided by Transfer Tavern
The Lowdown: Spurs complete Porro deal…
Spurs finally completed and announced the capture of Porro on January transfer deadline day after weeks of seemingly non-stop negotiations.
Warnings of Real Madrid summer interest apparently kicked Antonio Conte’s side into action as they successfully agreed a move to sign the Spaniard.
Porro has joined Spurs in an intricately structured deal with the Premier League top-four chasers even selling 15% of former player Marcus Edwards’ rights to Sporting.
The Latest: Pitt-Brooke thrilled…
Reporter Pitt-Brooke, writing on Twitter, has heaped praise on the Lilywhites for getting Porro over the line – calling it a ‘big statement’.
He also says that the signing is an ‘important‘ one both ‘on and off the pitch‘ – expanding on the latter point in his article for The Athletic by suggesting the move ends years of underdevelopment in that area of the squad.
The Verdict: Huge…
Conte’s need for an attack-minded wing-back option for his preferred back three formation cannot be understated.
Spurs have been bereft of forward quality on the right side, with first choice Emerson Royal only managing one assist in 16 league appearances all season (WhoScored).
Porro, still only 23-years-old, comes as both a long term signing after Conte’s reign has ended and a player perfectly suited to the Italian’s system. The former Man City starlet thrived going forward under Ruben Amorim at Sporting, racking up the Portuguese side’s highest number of league assists before joining Tottenham.
Porro also ranked in their top two for shots at goal and key passes made per 90 in the final third – very impressive statistics for a defender (WhoScored).
This signing, if all goes to plan, could even be the difference between mediocrity and another top four finish, and is sure to ease at least some of the unrest in the stands after fans once again chanted against Daniel Levy in the FA Cup win at Preston last weekend.
Source: msn
