Many Tottenham fans have been talking about the club’s latest links with a move to sign Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
It was recently reported that Spurs have now launched a ‘late bid’ in an attempt to sign the Brazilian central defender. The article cites reports in France which claim that Serie A giants Napoli have agreed a fee for the defender, though Spurs are now thought to be looking to hijack their signing by attempting a very late move for the player.
This update was relayed on Twitter by Ricky Sacks recently and it caught the attention of many Spurs fans. Many of them made their positive opinions known.
we need to get this done though
— Jspurs (@Jspurs3) June 21, 2020
Should Gabriel replace Vertonghen at Spurs?
I'd love that deal
That'll be a bad move
Left footed CB, would make sense.
— Gareth McCarter (@g2mcc) June 21, 2020
Solid defender. Make it happen
— Tyler Colderick (@tyler_colderick) June 21, 2020
Wish this was true https://t.co/rml4cFXY6B
— Matt (@MattTHFC__) June 21, 2020
A good young left-foot defender, hope getting him.
— ckc (@alsckc) June 22, 2020
While these Spurs fans want the club to sign Gabriel, others refused to believe the news because it is The Sun that reported about the update.
Tier 10
— SpursMaestro ??? (@NathHotspur_) June 21, 2020
Is it worth even mentioning this, nobody believes it anyway..next
— Andrew Fineberg (@AndrewFineberg) June 21, 2020
The guy is a beast and exactly what we need, shame about the Sun though
— glebosik_memosik (@GlebosikMemosik) June 21, 2020
There is clearly a difference of opinion about this news, even though some fans seem to like Magalhaes as a player.
The 2019/20 season saw the 22-year-old play regularly at the back for Lille. He made 34 appearances in all competitions, with 24 of those appearances coming in Ligue 1 (via Transfermarkt).
As part of Lille’s defence, he has averaged 1.7 tackles and 3.3 clearances per league game, more than the likes of Eric Dier in both departments (as per WhoScored), while he also has Champions League experience.
These are pretty promising stats for a central defender. Gabriel is only 22 currently and will only improve with time, so Spurs would do well to get the chance to sign him. Jan Vertonghen’s current deal at the club runs out at the end of the season and Gabriel could therefore become his long-term replacement.