Tottenham are continuing to scout players across Europe after a memorable summer transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur have not gotten off to a flying start in the Premier League this season. They tasted their third defeat of the Premier League campaign on Saturday, losing 3-2 to Aston Villa at home. With that and other results across the gameweek combined, Roberto De Zerbi’s dropped to rock-bottom in the table.
Spurs did well to recruit Premier League-proven players during the past transfer window. They brought in more experience and leadership in various areas of the pitch, hoping to elevate the standards of Roberto De Zerbi’s squad. The Lilywhites have been criticised from all corners for managing to score only two goals in the first five league games despite spending huge amounts on new signings in the summer.
While there are more than three months left for the transfer window to reopen, the Tottenham scouts continue doing their job with a bid to identify potential talents.
Tottenham scouts watch FC Porto vs. Benfica
According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola (h/t Sport Witness), Tottenham scouts were present at the Estadio da Dragao to watch FC Porto vs Benfica at the weekend. FC Porto beat Benfica 3-1, with Gabri Veiga, Victor Froholdt and Hwang In-beom scoring for the hosts. Alexander Bah bagged a consolation for the visitors.
It is not mentioned who Tottenham were specifically watching in the game. There were, however, several players that may have caught the Spurs scouts’ attention. Victor Froholdt was perhaps the standout performer on the pitch, bringing energy, bite and technical ability to Porto’s midfield whilst doubling their lead after Veiga had opened the scoring in the first half.
Veiga enjoyed another strong outing in a Porto shirt, operating as a creative link between midfield and attack. The 24-year-old made a smart run in behind Benfica’s defence and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Samuel Soares.
For Benfica, Tomas Araujo and Gianluca Prestianni stood out. Despite losing his centre-back partner Clement Lenglet to a red card in the first half, Araujo handled the situation better than most. The Portuguese was one of the visitors’ better performers despite Porto netting three goals.
The newspaper (h/t Sport Witness) adds that Tottenham officials may have attended to watch Souza, who is on a season-long loan to Porto. The young left-back was an unused substitute in the O Classico. He is yet to feature for the Dragons after joining from Spurs last month.
A couple of Tottenham’s summer targets were on the Benfica bench. Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin has lost his No.1 spot under new manager Marco Silva following a controversial summer. Winger Andreas Schjelderup, who was one of Norway’s best performers at the summer’s World Cup, came on in the 73rd minute with his side losing 3-1.
