Souza: Tottenham strike £13m deal for Santos left-back as first January transfer imminent | OneFootball

Thomas Frank bolsters defensive options as results falter

Tottenham have agreed a deal for the transfer of Brazilian left-back Souza.

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It took Spurs two bids to win the Brazilian club over, with the first offer of around £8m swiftly rejected.

The £13m fee is still a considerable discount on Souza’s €100m (£87.1m) release clause.

The player was keen on the move, though, tempted by the prospect of playing in the Premier League.

Tottenham hope Souza can provide competition for Destiny Udogie, who has struggled with injuries this campaign, and Djed Spence.

The youngster, a highly rated talent in the Santos academy, cracked the first team last season and went on to make 24 appearances in his debut campaign.

Results have faded fast for Thomas Frank’s side in recent weeks, and he has made no secret of his willingness to dip into the transfer market this month.

Top talent: Souza

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Attack is a more pressing concern, though, amid injuries to Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski, who is expected to spend at least another month on the sidelines.

Speaking this week, Frank said: “I think it's pretty fair to say that we are maybe a little bit short on offensive options.

“I think also it's fair, there's no one who's really grabbed that shirt on the left-hand side. So I think that's definitely up for grabs.”

He later added that he did not expect a challenging campaign to impact Spurs’ transfer market conquests.

“I think we are very attractive in many ways. I think Spurs is a fantastic club with a huge potential,” said the Dane.

“I think some of the boxes you need to tick is, of course, the stadium and the training ground and the potential.

“Of course, if we compete against the three teams that are clearly ahead of us - City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, unfortunately - then those three clubs are probably more attractive right now.

“That’s not to say that we can’t attract some of the players that also want to go to those clubs.

“It depends a little bit if there is a spot available for the player to play in those clubs and here, for example.”