Tottenham are closing in on the signing of Antonio Sanabria.
Picture Supplied by Action Images
Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Antonio Sanabria, after Gazetta Dello Sport reported yesterday a fee and personal terms have been agreed.
Sanabria is highly rated after scoring 11 goals for Sporting Gijon last season in La Liga, and is Paraguay’s second ever youngest international player.
Francesco Totti and Pepin
He belongs, for now, to Italian giants Roma who signed him in 2014 from Barcelona, and he quickly impressed club legen Francesco Totti, who tipped him for the top.
Totti told Calciomercato in 2014: “Sanabria and Paredes, they have something more than others and I am convinced that they can have a bright future.”
This begs the obvious question of why are Roma selling the talented striker, who has only recently turned 20?
The answer lies in a behind the scenes power ‘struggle’ or changes if you will. Sanabria was a signing made by sporting director Walter Sabatini, who told Gazzetta [reported by Football Italia] that he would be leaving Roma due to a clash with president James Palotta.
Walter Sabatini
While he has since decided to stay for now, he has had to cede power, and accepted that money he has invested in players has not been spent wisely.
Football Italia report Roma are planning a total restructure, to take better advantage of statistics and ‘football data’.
While the fee paid to sign Sanabria was only a small outlay, the chance to get three times the amount they paid for the striker represents good financial business for a player who has played only two first team games for Roma for a combined 33 minutes of action.
Sporting’s Antonio Sanabria celebrates next to team mate Carlos Castro after scoring a goal
Sanabria showed last season he is highly talented, netting 11 goals in a struggling side, and becoming the youngest La Liga player to score a hat-trick.
Fan site Chiesa di Totti worried in March that this form would simply see him be used as a ‘cash cow’ for Roma to raise funds, and to Tottenham’s benefit, that fear appears correct.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
