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Remember Joao Moutinho? Dust off that transfer rumor excitement because Moutinho is back in play again.
Tottenham Hotspur are apparently not just chasing Moutinho, but have made progress with Porto and might be able to seal this deal before long. At least that is what Pedro Pinto is telling us.
A source close to FC Porto just told me the transfer of Moutinho to Spurs should be announced in the next 24 hours. Will keep you posted.
— Pedro Pinto (@pedrocnn) August 29, 2012
Before you laugh at this, though, take a second and think about it because it is not completely ridiculous. This transfer might still make sense and with Daniel Levy, anything is possible.
Most people assumed that when Tottenham Hotspur bought Moussa Dembele that Spurs would end their search for a midfielder to help fill the hole left by Luka Modric. Dembele would suffice and Tottenham would move on, right?
Spurs aren't ready to just move on yet. While Dembele could play in the center and help Spurs by either playing in the double pivot of a 4-2-3-1 or allow them to make the move to the 4-3-3 by also playing in the middle, we also know that he is exceedingly versatile and that versatility might make room for Moutinho.
While we have assumed that Spurs are a winger away from making the full-time switch to Andre Villas-Boas' 4-3-3, they might also be a Moutinho away from making the switch. Dembele has spent most of his time recently in the center, but he is a very capable winger and some actually think that he is better there.
Instead of buying Dembele to play in the center and then a winger to make the move to the 4-3-3, maybe the plan all along was to buy Dembele as the winger and then another midfielder to play in the center? It would be equally as effective when all is said and done.
The question with Spurs and Moutinho has always been the price, with Porto rumored to be demanding as much as £30 million. That number might be coming down now, though. With the transfer deadline creeping up, that price could drop and drop a lot. If it gets down to £20 million, well, maybe it all makes sense again. Villas-Boas still does admire Moutinho.
So is Pinto right? I haven't the slightest clue. If it was complete B.S. I would not be surprised, but a Moutinho buy still passes the logic test, even after Dembele signed up.
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