Vanderson emerging as potential target for Tottenham to back up Pedro Porro

This has been a weird offseason thus far. Compared to the fast and loose leaks in the Fabio Paratici era, it feels as though actual briefs about transfer targets and news have dried up under Johan Lange and his team.

But there are a few things we do know, and one of them is Emerson Royal is almost certainly leaving the club this summer, probably to AC Milan. And when he does go, Spurs will need a new player to back up — and rotate with — Pedro Porro. Moncao RB Vanderson is the latest name to emerge for that open position, and friends... it’s a pretty intriguing option on paper.

Bruno Andrade and Brazilian outlet UOL have the story — Vanderson, 24, just finished his third season at Monaco and has been a regular performer for them since arriving from Brazilian side Gremio. He also has a profile that looks an AWFUL lot like what Pedro Porro already brings to Tottenham Hotspur’s side, which at least on paper makes him look like a natural backup, or a rotation option in Europe/if Porro is injured.

Full disclosure — I have not watched much Monaco this past season, but if Spurs were looking for an offensively-minded fullback who can also defend, Vanderson looks like Pedro Porro Lite™. He doesn’t seem to assist or pass as much as Porro, but the stats make them look similarish, and certainly a more natural fit than Emerson Royal. He’s also reportedly a speed merchant who likes to get forward. Sounds good to me!

Andrade says that there has not been any formal approach from Spurs for Vanderson, which makes sense, but “has already made initial contact behind the scenes to understand how to proceed in an official negotiation.” That likely means someone at Spurs has been in contact with Vanderson’s agent to find out if he’d be willing to come to England and what his wage demands are. We also don’t know how much he costs, but the above tweets mention that Gremio has a 15% sell-on fee agreement with Monaco, which could complicate things.

Vanderson has a name that sounds like what you might get if you put Micky van der Ven and Emerson in a blender, and frankly the stats look a bit like that as well. No idea whether this rumor has any legs (thanks, Johan!) but if this is a legitimate target I don’t think I’d be too upset.