Tottenham could let Souza leave, but only on ‘this’ condition.’
The Souza to Benfica story took a swift twist on Monday. Brazilian outlets Diario do Peixe and Terra had reported the Portuguese club offered Tottenham €20m for the 20-year-old left-back, only for Portuguese paper Record to state hours later that neither Souza nor Feyenoord’s Leo Sauer are actually part of Benfica’s recruitment plans this summer. Whatever the truth of the initial report, it appears to have been dead on arrival. [h/t Sport Witness]
What is not in dispute is that Souza‘s situation at Tottenham remains unresolved. He joined from Santos in January for around €15m on a five-year deal but has made just four Premier League appearances and 144 minutes since, without a single goal contribution.
He saw himself left out of the squad that travelled to New Zealand for pre-season, with no explanation offered by the club, which will only fuel speculation about his immediate future.
Impending loan exit?
Andy Robertson’s free transfer arrival this summer has made an already crowded left-back picture worse, with Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence both still able to play there too.
Even before Robertson signed, several Premier League clubs had made enquiries about a loan move for Souza, only for Spurs to knock those back at the time. Whether that stance holds until the end of the window, only time will tell. But if Souza does leave before deadline day, the expectation is that it will be on loan rather than a permanent sale.
There is a reasonable case for either path here. Souza was seen as one of Brazil’s most promising young full-backs before his move, and there is even talk of the Brazilian federation monitoring him as a long-term option, with Carlo Ancelotti potentially assessing younger players around September’s friendly against Australia.
A loan somewhere he can actually play regularly, ideally in a league and culture that suits him, makes far more sense for his development than sitting fourth or fifth in the queue at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Benfica denial closes one route, but it does not solve the underlying problem, and that is the story worth watching here.