Tottenham had scouts in the stands to watch Benfica’s clash with Sporting last night, in which the latter ran out 3-1 winners.
That’s according to A Bola, who cover how several clubs had scouts in attendance for the big clash at the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
English scouts being in Portugal for big games is nothing new, with the country a hotbed of talent that Premier League clubs have long kept an eye on.
That was the case last night, with several clubs, including Tottenham, sending representatives to keep an eye on the game.
There’s no mention of who they were there to watch, but the standout performer was undeniably Sporting midfielder Matheus Nunes, who had a goal and an assist in an all-round star performance.
Elsewhere there were good performances from Sporting’s front three of Pote, Paulinho and Paulo Sarabia, while Pedro Porro and Manuel Ugarte were also solid.
Interestingly the one Sporting player Tottenham have been heavily linked with for months, Palhinha, missed the game.
For Benfica, Everton had a solid game despite the defeat while Alex Grimaldo stood out on the left wing; he could be an option if Real Madrid were to move for Sergio Reguilon as has been suggested.
The one man who really struggled was Darwin Nunez, who has long been touted for a move to the Premier League and could be an option for Spurs if they do need to replace Harry Kane in future.
He failed to make an impact in the game and was substituted off, so that’s unlikely to have gone unnoticed.
Other than that, it really was Sporting’s night and if Tottenham left impressed by anyone it will have been their star man Nunes, who continues to shine for the Portuguese side this season.
