This is a crucial period for Tottenham Hotspur as they are in the midst of their first full transfer window under boss Jose Mourinho.
Unsurprisingly, Mourinho will be keen to add his own stamp to the Spurs squad this summer as he aims to rejuvenate his options ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
It is no surprise that he has been linked with players who are currently based in his native Portugal.
Mourinho has regularly used the Portuguese top flight as a key market for his signings throughout his time at Chelsea and Real Madrid, a trend he continued at Manchester United with the additions of defender Victor Lindelof (from Benfica) and Diogo Dalot (Porto).
Benfica were again Mourinho’s first port of call at Spurs when he pushed for the 18-month loan deal for promising midfielder Gedson Fernandes.
Tottenham have once again been linked with a raid on the Lisbon club with rumours that they are eyeing teenage defender Tomas Tavares.
The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Benfica with 25 appearances across all competitions, including seven of the club’s eight matches in European competition.
A big reason that Tavares has been targeted is that he has played in both full-back positions for the Portuguese giants, which are both areas that Spurs need to prioritise in terms of numbers.
Serge Aurier is the only specialist right-back in Mourinho’s squad and even his future remains unclear beyond this summer, while Kieran Trippier was allowed to depart a year ago without a replacement.
As highlighted by Whoscored.com , 15 of Tavares’s 16 starts across league and European competition saw him play at right-back. That was the position where he starred for the club’s youth teams and fits his profile better, as he is naturally right-footed.
However, he was selected at left-back in the late season derby victory over Benfica’s city rivals Sporting CP, showing that he can excel there too when thrown in at the deep end. Again, the similarities of what Mourinho values are clear - two summers ago he signed Dalot for United, primarily a right-back but who had excelled in the left-back position in a scoreless Champions League fixture at Anfield.
Ben Davies, Japhet Tanganga and Danny Rose are all options for Spurs in this position, but Rose’s future is unclear following his loan spell at Newcastle United while Tanganga is primarily a central defender. Jan Vertonghen occasionally filled this void in recent seasons, but his exit to Benfica has removed such an option. Signing Tavares would not only provide a long-term option at right-back, but one who can fill-in across the defence when required to do so.
The underlying data behind Tavares is impressive too - in his 12 appearances in Portugal’s top-flight, he has only conceded 17 fouls - less than 1.5 per game - while he has drawn eight fouls in the same timeframe, as per fbref.com . That signifies his willingness to get forward (a requisite for teams like Benfica, who often dominate domestic matches) and that is further highlighted by his 26 crosses - more than two per match - with his pass percentage completion rate an admirable 82.2%. By contrast, the only Tottenham defender with a higher rating of successfully completed passes is Davison Sanchez, as per whoscored.com . Aurier’s figure for the previous campaign was 79.1%.
In total, Tavares made an average of 5.3 key defensive moments in a game (tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks), showing that he excels in the basics of defending. Again, this is a key attribute for Mourinho’s full-backs, with the Portuguese boss more conservative with his deployment of them in matches. They are primarily in position to maintain the team’s defensive shape and, while they should have attacking capabilities, they are not as advanced or ambitious in attacking terms as those under his counterparts Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp.
Tavares is of Cape Verdean descent but has been capped for Portugal up to under-19 level, and his trajectory appears to put him firmly on course for a senior call-up in the coming seasons. His profile fits what Spurs would be in the market for this summer, particularly when finances are limited and adaptability in players is crucial.
