Tottenham caught up in transfer ban saga as document yet to be handed over
Tottenham have been caught up with a transfer ban saga involving Santos following the signing of left-back Souza.
Souza swapped Santos for Tottenham in January for a reported fee of around £13million on a deal until the summer of 2031.
The 19-year-old made his debut for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium outfit on 7 February when he came off the bench in a 2-0 loss at Manchester United.
Since then, however, the teenager hasn’t had a look-in, first under recently sacked head coach Thomas Frank and then interim boss Igor Tudor.
It is still very early days for the youngster, but while he hopes to get the odd bit of game time, a huge amount of drama has unfolded at his former club.
According to ESPN Brasil, Tottenham need to release a document to Santos that could allow them to escape the clutches of a transfer ban.
Tottenham hold the key to Santos’ transfer freedom
The report adds that Santos have a plan to overturn the transfer ban that was imposed on them last Thursday.
The punishment was off the back of the Brazilian team’s debt with Portuguese side Arouca when they signed defender Joao Basso in 2023.
Santos are said to have a debt of around £2.35m but some of the funds from the Souza sale could resolve the matter by the end of the week.
ESPN state that if Tottenham release a document for part of the amount to Santos’ coffers, this episode can come to a conclusion.
Arouca have reportedly agreed to extend the payment term. Incidentally, due to the transfer ban, Santos haven’t been able to register 18-year-old Christian Oliva.
For Souza, he will now focus on trying to get some more minutes for Tottenham in their bid to stave off relegation to the Championship.
Souza signing indicative of Tottenham’s muddled thinking
Tottenham have been sliding down the Premier League table for months now, with Spurs currently 16th.
Their poor form led to Frank’s dismissal, with Tottenham just four points above the relegation zone with 11 games remaining.
Tottenham spent around £35m on midfielder Conor Gallagher but apart from the former Chelsea man, the rest of their January recruits are ones for the future.
Souza may get the odd game here and there but when you are in a relegation scrap, signing teenagers is not the way to go.
Tudor may have enough quality in this squad to keep Tottenham in the Premier League but when Spurs have Destiny Udogie, 23, and Djed Spence, 25, as left-back options, it begs the question, was Souza’s signing necessary?
Tottenham needed recruits for the here and now, not promising talent that can potentially blossom in years to come.
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