Jose Mourinho may have just inadvertently dropped a Spurs summer transfer hint – Our View

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Jose Mourinho has every reason to be pleased with himself after watching his side dismantle Wolfsberger AC on Wednesday night.

It was a fantastic evening of football from Spurs who looked to be back to their very best against the Austrian outfit, and one man who certainly caught the eye was Dane Scarlett.

Indeed, the striker got an assist for Spurs, and understandably, Mourinho was waxing-lyrical about the teenager.

“He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential,” Mourinho said after the game. “He has worked many times with the first team and that gives him a different personality. He is still 16, 17 soon, and I believe next season he will be a first-team squad player because he has a lot of talent.”

While it’s interesting to note that Mourinho thinks Scarlett will be a first-teamer next season, he may have just inadvertently dropped a transfer hint.

Indeed, if Mourinho sees Scarlett making a step up next term, one would imagine that this will have an impact on Carlos Vinicius’ long-term future at the club.

Spurs have the option to buy the Brazilian for £40m at the end of the season, and while he’s performed well for Spurs so far, scoring six goals in seven Europa League appearances, it’s hard to see them shelling out such a high fee for a backup striker, especially when Mourinho feels Scarlett can fill that role next season.

That’s before we even consider the possibility of Troy Parrott returning to play a part in the first-team, let’s not forget that he’s still a very highly-rated young player.

Could Spurs still sign Vinicius? Of course they could, they have the option to buy him at the end of the season, but in a post-pandemic market, it’s hard to envisage the club choosing to spend £40m on a striker who’s not scored a league goal all season when Mourinho already has another back-up to Harry Kane lined up.

Mourinho may not have overtly said it, but his comments on Scarlett certainly hint that Tottenham may not be signing Vinicius permanently this summer.