Porto was a popular place for Premier League scouts this week, with Tottenham one of the sides having a representative in attendance at the Estádio do Dragão.
The Portuguese side took on PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, losing 1-0 thanks to a Guus Til goal.
While that was good enough viewing, the real spectacle appears to have been in the stands. As is usually the case with Porto, there were a tonne of Premier League scouts in attendance.
Sport Witness have already reported how Everton and Nottingham Forest both made trips, something they also did last month as well. Now Tottenham can be added to the list.
Our records show they were also busy watching Porto last month and had a scout attend this game. A month ago, we suggested that Froholdt, Gabri Veiga and Samu were the Porto players likely being watched. There is also Souza, the left-back, who is currently on loan from Tottenham at Porto.
Spurs also had a scout watching Porto all the way back in January as well. As we say, it’s a favoured destination for Tottenham’s scouts.
Porto unimpressive
This time around, there wasn’t much to write about with Porto. Alberto Costa was the standout performer for them, earning a 7.00 rating from WhoScored.
The 23-year-old right-back was Porto’s best player. Could he, perhaps, be a long-term replacement for Pedro Porro? Reports in Spain have hinted he is determined to get back to his home country next summer. Porro also came after a spell of Spurs scouting in Portugal.
It’s unlikely they were looking at Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior as they’re well sorted in central defence. Diogo Costa, fourth in the ratings with a 6.43, could be of interest though. He’s long been linked with a Premier League move and Tottenham could perhaps do with an experienced keeper.
Interestingly, Gabri Veiga rounded out the top five. But it would be strange for Spurs to spend on another central midfielder after their summer spending in that department. Samu was down in eight in the rankings so will have made little impression.
PSV standouts
The standout performers were instead in PSV’s team. They had no fewer than six players all score 7.00 or above in WhoScored’s ratings.
Sven Mijnans topped that with a 7.64, with Sergino Dest in second on 7.6. Esmir Bajraktarevic was in third on 7.48. He nearly got himself on the scoresheet by hitting the bar with an effort before being substituted off in the 80th minute.
Centre back Yarek Gasiorowski and striker Guus Till rounded out the top five for the Dutch side with 7.42 and 7.3 ratings. Of the group, Dest could be the interesting option again given the reports around Porro and Tottenham’s problems at left-back. He can play in both positions.
Bajraktarevic is another interesting name. He impressed at the World Cup, and reports have linked him with the Premier League for a while. A Bola also gave him an 8/10 for the game, their highest rating. Given Tottenham had Mohammed Kudus and Savio in the position though, a move seems unlikely there either.
Still, those were the outstanding performers in the game for the Tottenham scout to take note of as they joined the rest of the Premier League at Tuesday’s game.
