The transfer market opened more than two weeks ago, and although English teams haven’t seen much activity in that time, Tottenham Hotspur is beginning to make waves.
In recent weeks, Ange Postecoglou’s team has been linked to a number of talented players, including Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace and Riccardo Calafiori of Bologna. However, in the last 24 hours or so, they have taken a big step to bring in Archie Gray, their first permanent signing of the window.
Yesterday, Fabrizio Romano gave the move the “here we go” seal of approval. Although the Englishman is an intriguing addition, the club already has a player who can play one of his positions, and his value is millions more than that of the 18-year-old jewel.
Pedro Porro’s tenure at Tottenham
The man in question is Pedro Porro, a right-back from Spain.
The 24-year-old superstar first signed with Spurs on a loan basis in February of last year, following his impressive £39 million permanent signing from Portuguese powerhouse Sporting CP.
The Don-Benito star was a fairly consistent player during his first half-season in North London; nevertheless, of his 17 games under the then-manager Antonio Conte, 13 were starts as a right-sided midfielder or right wing-back, where he finished with three goals and three assists.
But after Postecoglou was brought in last summer, the “titanic” defender—named after Charlie Eccleshare, a former Spurs correspondent for The Athletic—shifted back into a more conventional right-back position, starting 37 games, contributing seven assists and four goals, averaging a goal every 3.36 games for the Australian.
Though Gray played there for much of last season, he’ll have a tough battle if he hopes to remain on the right side of defense given his impressive form that has made the 5 foot 8 dynamo a regular member of the Lilywhites’ starting lineup over the past 12 months.
In addition, Porro is worth much more than the teenager.
Porro’s estimated 2024 value
Once all the ts and i’s are crossed, Gray’s relocation to North London is expected to cost Daniel Levy & Co a cool £40 million or more. That’s a lot of money, but not as much as Porro’s valuation.
The Spaniard’s cautious valuation, as determined by the CIES Football Observatory, is €52 million, or approximately £44 million. However, his higher appraisal comes in at a whooping €66 million, or £56 million, or £16 million more than the club is expected to pay Leeds for their promising wonderkid.
The former Sporting player is highly regarded for two reasons, the first of which is rather evident: he is simply that excellent.
His 11 goal involvements in 37 games the previous season is impressive. He ranks in the top 5% of full-backs for total shots, the top 7% for blocks, and the top 8% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, all per 90, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues.
His £85k-per-week deal, which is slated to expire in the summer of 2028, is the second factor contributing to his enormous value. This means that the club is not currently under any pressure to sell or extend.
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