Heading into the summer transfer window you’d probably highlight three main problem positions for Tottenham – centre-back, right-back and central midfield.
The centre-back issue is a crisis that rumbles on, and to be honest, we don’t envy Daniel Levy or Jose Mourinho as they hunt for a new centre-half.
However, the midfield and full-back problem looks as though it could soon be solved as Spurs are targeting a player who could kill those two birds with one stone.
Indeed, the London club are looking at Brazilian youngster Gabriel Menino, and he sounds like he could be the perfect antidote to Spurs’ problems in both of those spots.
The problems at right-back are simple enough. Matt Doherty hasn’t lived up to expectations this season, and he’s struggled to play in a flat back four.
Meanwhile, the midfield does look decent at times, it struggles when Spurs need to rotate. Notably against Dinamo Zagreb last week in the Europa League where both Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko struggled.
Menino can play in both positions comfortably, and remarkably, he’s been compared to both Yaya Toure and Dani Alves already in his career.
Brazil manager Tite has commented on Menino’s ability at full-back, praising his technical ability.
“He also trained as a youth at full-back. We have looked at all his personal and technical abilities. We tracked his entire history, as well as watching four games in the stands and eight on television. He is a new talent coming up in a crucial position for us,” Tite said.
Meanwhile, his former coach Gustavo Nabinger has commented on his physicality, claiming that he’s more of a bustling midfielder than a full-back.
“Menino came at the end of 2013 to trial as a centre-back and he was quickly approved. But I quickly changed his position, because he was good going forward and getting into the box. He marked well, like he does now, and he was strong for his age but not very tall,” Nabinger said.
As you can see, Menino is something of a Swiss army knife of a footballer, and with Spurs having depth problems in two key areas, he’s exactly the type of player they could do with at the moment.
The likes of Winks and Doherty have been two of Spurs’ weaker links this term at centre-back and right-back, but Menino could come in and immediately solve Spurs’ issues at both right-back and centre-mid.
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