Tottenham Hotspur were quiet on transfer deadline day but Johan Lange did find time to strike a rather interesting deal for the future.
Ange Postecoglou spent his cash on two big signings this summer, luring Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur.
Lucas Bergvall, Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert have also strengthened the Tottenham squad but results have been a little mixed so far.
Tottenham were so up and down in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City before beating Everton 4-0 last weekend.
Postecoglou then watched his side dominate against Newcastle United on Sunday, only to lose 2-1 at St James’ Park.
Tottenham can’t just keep playing well and failing to win, leaving Spurs fans a little frustrated with the start to the season and the summer business.
Johnny Cardoso praised after Tottenham Hotspur agreement
Tottenham didn’t bring in a natural holding midfielder this summer, something which may have been needed after allowing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to join Marseille.
Deadline day passed without Tottenham finding a solution in that area of the pitch but an interesting agreement has been reached.
Tottenham have allowed Giovani Lo Celso to rejoin Real Betis after five rather disappointing years on the Spurs books.
Intriguingly, Tottenham have negotiated a first option on Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso as part of the deal.
Tottenham can either activate a deal to sign Cardoso or take a percentage of any sale if he moves elsewhere – even if Spurs are remaining quiet on the agreement right now.
The American midfielder isn’t a household in Europe just yet having only joined Betis from Internacional in January.
European football expert Andy Brassell has now offered his view whilst speaking to Sky Sports (30/08, 17:40).
Brassell noted that Cardoso is ‘very popular’ as a person and and ‘very energetic’ on the pitch, highlighting that he is essentially a Brazilian player due to his upbringing.
Brassell added that Cardoso ‘loves a tackle’ and his style of play suits the Premier League perfectly, potentially becoming the answer for Tottenham in holding midfielder.
“The interesting thing is this might help Tottenham negotiate an option, it seems, for Johnny Cardoso,” said Brassell. “Quite an interesting backstory, so he was born in the US to Brazilian parents but he moved back to Brazil when he was three or four months old. To all intents and purposes, he is a Brazilian player, he’s come through the system there before going over to Betis.
“Very popular, very energetic, you can imagine Cardoso working really well in the Premier League because he loves a tackle, he loves to get stuck in, so you can imagine him protecting that Tottenham defence going forward,” he added.
Johan Lange has pulled off a masterstroke
Cardoso may not even join Tottenham in 2025 but he will be a name on the radar for upcoming transfer windows at Spurs.
This deal may not amount to much; Spurs may end up feeling that Cardoso just isn’t right down the line.
Having that option is so valuable though as the market for holding midfielders has exploded in recent years.
Finding quality players who can play in that number six position at a high level is becoming increasingly difficult – and increasingly expensive.
Cardoso hasn’t even in European football for a year yet, so it’s too early to tell whether he can really take the next step in his development.
If he does though, Tottenham have that first option to bring him to North London, providing an advantage over other clubs who may join the race.
Tottenham have no plans for Lo Celso, so taking a cheaper deal doesn’t really affect Spurs too much right now but allows that option for Cardoso down the line.
Deadline day was a quiet one for Tottenham but technical director Johan Lange may have set up a very interesting deal for the future in a potential masterstroke for Spurs.