Pedro Porro ‘will be missed’ by Sporting Lisbon if the Spain international seals his long-awaited return to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur this month, former Portugal international Delfim Teixeira tells Bola Branca.
It’s not been quite as drawn-out as Willian Jose or Leandro Damiao, but this is certainly another saga which has rumbled on for far longer than Spurs supporters would have wanted. But hey, better late than never, right?
Antonio Conte appears to have more problems than Jay-Z at Tottenham, and the lack of quality for the right wing-back position is just one of the 99. But Porro, once of Manchester City, has three goals and 11 assists this season. More than Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty combined. Not to mention Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski; Spurs’ most consistent creators.
After weeks of negotiations, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Fabrizio Romano believes Porro should be unveiled as a Tottenham player shortly after Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round clash at home to Championship outfit Preston North End.
And Delfim, a former Sporting midfielder, believes his former side may struggle to find a replacement with Porro’s quality and mentality.
“(Porro) will be missed by Sporting,” Delfim says. “I don’t see any other attitude in a professional like him.”
Tottenham Hotspur edge closer to signing Pedro Porro as Sporting Lisbon
The signing of Tariq Lamptey on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, however, would be some consolation. Another of Europe’s most exciting young right-backs, Lamptey was a target for Bayern Munich not so long ago. The jet-heeled former Chelsea flyer needs regular minutes after falling down the Brighton pecking order due to a series of injury problems.
Romano believes Ghana international Lamptey could be on his way to the Portuguese capital. Lyon like him too, but will not move this month with fellow right-back Malo Gusto staying put until the summer.
“Sporting can find in Lamptey a good alternative to Pedro Porro,” says former Ghana coach Mariano Barreto. “Of course, he doesn’t completely replace him, because Porro is a consistent player. Any player will have a hard time replacing him.
“But, given his position and being a fast and powerful player, I think that, if it comes to fruition, (signing Lamptey) could be beneficial for Sporting.”
Will Porro join Arnaut Danjuma at Spurs?
Tottenham have already snapped up Arnaut Danjuma this month. The former Bournemouth winger was supposed to join Everton, but got cold feet after Frank Lampard’s sacking. Danjuma could make his Spurs debut against Preston at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“He has experience. He played in the Champions League last season. He’s a player who can play like a striker or a winger,” says Spurs coach Cristian Stellini, admitting that there are ‘a lot of positions he can cover.’
“So we are happy. And we are looking forward to working with him. (Where he plays) depends on the system we use. In the system we use normally, he could be a ‘number’ 10 or a striker. This is the way we want to work with him. We lost Lucas (Moura, to injury), and we need the players to add to our rotation.
“It’s good to have him.”
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