Ex-Spurs Scout delivers verdict on Tottenham potentially signing Brais Mendes
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome aboard our brilliant new columnist Bryan King, the former goalkeeper who spent six years as a senior scout at Spurs and 28 years in total in first-team scouting roles. Bryan also spent eight years on Everton’s recruitment team and 11 years scouting at Aston Villa across two different spells.
Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King believes “there must be something missing” with Real Sociedad midfielder Brais Mendez amid speculation linking him with a move to Tottenham.
Spurs are currently at the “forefront” of a host of clubs interested in Mendez, with the Spaniard’s impressive performances this season sparking interest from multiple clubs, including the Premier League leaders (Fichajes, 29 October).
Ange Postecoglou’s side are looking for options to strengthen their midfield and are reported to be closely monitoring the 26-year-old, who has five goals in all competitions for Real Sociedad this season, including three in the UEFA Champions League.
He is said to be valued at £26million, although his current manager Imanol Alguacil is keen to keep hold of him beyond this season, and the club are willing to fight for him to stay.
Ex-Spurs scout King is not convinced and spoke to Tottenham News about his doubts over the potential signing.
“If he is scoring goals in the Champions League, and he is playing regularly, then £26million seems like a fair price,” said King.
“However, he is 26 years old, the question mark I have over this player is why hasn’t he already made the switch to a bigger club than Real Sociedad, such as Real Madrid or Barcelona. He has a good pedigree, he has played for Spain at all levels, however, he only has four full caps for his country since 2018.
“Who would he replace? Both the central midfielders are doing well at the moment. Is he going to compete with James Maddison? I can’t see that at this moment in time, he would be coming in to provide a bit of depth in the squad, so the question is would he be happy sitting on the bench?
“I just feel there must be something missing with Mendez which explains why he hasn’t made a move to one of Spain’s bigger clubs. It just seems very strange that he went from Celta Vigo to Real Sociedad. Why didn’t he go from Celta Vigo to Real Madrid or Barcelona, those two clubs usually take the best players in Spain.
“Personally, I can’t see Tottenham signing him, I think the club need to be looking for upgrades on what they already have.”
In other Tottenham news, one on-loan Spurs player has been standing out with his performances at his temporary club.