Making a positive first impression is key in any walk of life, and Tottenham defender Souza has just managed that in Porto.
The youngster is currently on loan at Porto, having joined the Portuguese league leaders on loan from Tottenham in the summer.
He’s yet to make his official debut for the club but was handed his chance to impress in Friday’s friendly with Deportivo La Coruna. And what an impression he ended up making.
Positive debut
A Bola report on the game today, which Porto won 3-1. The newspaper is particularly enthusiastic about the Tottenham loanee, who “left fans drooling” with his performance.
A Bola insist that he is ‘the real deal’ after watching him put in a performance that saw him playing ‘at an excellent level’. He even provided the assist for André Silva’s go-ahead goal.
The newspaper states that the 20-year-old finished the game exhausted but left a very positive impression on everyone who watched him.
As first appearances for your new club go, it sounds like things couldn’t have went better for the Tottenham loanee.
Future plans
He’ll now be looking to break into Francisco Farioli’s side permanently for the remainder of the season.
What he needs right now is regular minutes in a competitive league, and Porto can certainly offer that in Portugal. Indeed, Portugal has often been a breeding ground for young talent down the years.
Tottenham’s plan was clearly to give him time away from Spurs to develop his game and then bring him back next year for a second look. Having paid €15m earlier this year, it’s obvious that they think there’s talent there.
The question is whether they can get him to a level where he’ll be comfortable in the Premier League. At least time is on their side on that front.
For now, the focus is on what happens in Porto and Friday’s friendly was clearly a major step forward for everyone.
