Tottenham hand over documents to release club from FIFA’s naughty list
Tottenham have done their bit to help Santos escape their transfer ban following the signing of Souza.
That is according to Bolavip, who state that Santos owed Portuguese side Arouca £2.35million after signing defender Joao Basso in 2023.
Due to a late payment, a transfer ban followed last week, which, naturally, prevented the Brazilian giants from making new signings and registering players.
After surviving relegation to the Brazilian second-tier last season, Neymar’s Santos side would have hoped to start the 2026 campaign on the right foot.
Just when it looked like that wouldn’t be the case, FIFA’s transfer ban has been lifted, with Tottenham seemingly playing their part in this dramatic episode.
Santos have Tottenham to thank with Souza deal
Souza swapped Santos for Spurs in the January transfer window for a reported fee of around £13million on a contract until 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 against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
As he awaits more minutes, this time under interim boss Igor Tudor, it seems he has been at the centre of an eye-opening turn of events at his old club.
Reports suggested that Tottenham needed to release a document to Santos that would allow them to escape the clutches of a transfer ban and use the Souza funds to pay off their debt.
It appears that hurdle has been navigated, with Santos now free to register players such as new signing Christian Oliva.
The above report adds that Santos are now off FIFA’s naughty list as a result.
So, had it not been for Souza’s transfer move to Tottenham, Santos could be in a real pickle right now.
Souza signing is part of Tottenham’s confused transfer strategy
Santos have produced some excellent talents over the years, most notably Neymar. Left-back Souza was another impressive example from the club’s academy production line, prompting Spurs to fork out a significant sum for the teenager.
The Brazil Under-17 international could be a star of the future but Tottenham need ready-made Premier League players right now if they want to stay up.
Other than signing Conor Gallagher for £35m, Tottenham did not bring in any first-team-ready players for the second half of the season.
The rest were players for the future, with many unlikely to play for Tudor’s team this term.
This speaks to how Tottenham have taken their eye off the ball by signing up-and-coming players at a time when they are just four points above the relegation zone.
Even when their predicament looked less dire in January, the club’s hierarchy had the chance to strengthen last month and in the end they finished up with Gallagher and backup option Souza.
Thomas Frank has since been sacked and Spurs are languishing down in 16th. Souza may come good but for now, his signing highlights their muddled thinking.
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