Tottenham have been struggling this season under Thomas Frank.
Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to strengthen their squad depth in the ongoing winter transfer window. Thomas Frank & Co. have been enduring a tough 2025/26 campaign, and as we saw from the Lilywhites’ movements in the transfer window, the chiefs at Hotspur Way are all aboard to try and bring in those much-needed reinforcements to N17.
And in their bid to do so, the North Londoners have continued to intensify their scouting focus on FC Porto. The club had scouts present at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday night as they watched Porto’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the Taça de Portugal.
According to a report from A Bola (via Sport Witness), the Lilywhites’ scouts stood among a few other elite clubs who were in attendance for the game. They go on to name the likes of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Brentford representatives in the stands. But looking at it from Tottenham’s point of view, you’d think that this one is around a clear and ongoing recruitment plan rather than a one-off scouting mission.
Tottenham have a long-standing interest in Samu Aghehowa
Samu Aghehowa would be more of the reference target for the Tottenham scouts present at Taça de Portugal. But the striker did not have his best night in front of goal. He didn’t even register a shot and also ended up misplacing a few passes. His physical output was still outstanding, given that Samu won a high number of duels and protected the ball well (very much like an ideal Thomas Frank forward).
He consistently helped Porto push up the pitch. And that link-up play alongside his ability to occupy defenders continues to make him a profile that Tottenham clearly value.
And this is not the first time that the Lilywhites have watched him in person. He has been a target at Hotspur Way for a while, which has led the Lilywhites scouts to repeatedly visit Porto, showing that he remains high on the shortlist at N17.
Tottenham interest in Porto players goes beyond Samu
But in this Porto roster, Samu is only the start of Tottenham interest. There are a few players that could pique the Lilywhites’ eyes, starting with Gabri Veiga in the midfield. He had a strong game, given how he was repeatedly finding spaces in behind Benfica’s defensive lines. Veiga also provided the assist for the winning goal for Porto.
Going between the sticks, Diogo Costa gave another reminder of his quality at the back. Given there is a lot of uncertainty going around Vicario, the Portuguese international impressed with a crucial save before half-time and looked calm every time he was tested.
Tottenham have been spotted in Porto games multiple times in recent months. In October and November, the scouts were seen in their 0-0 league draw against Benfica in the league and 3-0 win over Nice in the Europa League, respectively. It looks like there is a real chance that one of the next signings at Hotspur Way will come from Porto.
Who do you think Tottenham were watching from that Porto roster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
