Tottenham £69m target is ‘brave, aggressive, and destined for a big club’, says former coach

3 hours ago 26

The former youth coach of a left-back wanted by Tottenham Hotspur believes that the £69m-rated player is ready for a move to a club like Spurs.

The summer transfer window will be the last thing on the minds of many Spurs fans at the moment, as the club are staring at the possibility of relegation from the top-flight for the first time in 48 years.

With Tottenham winless in the league in 2026 and now in the relegation zone, Roberto De Zerbi has to spearhead a massive turnaround to keep the club up.

However, with the summer transfer window fast approaching, the Spurs officials have started making tentative plans for the window, and one highly-rated full-back appears to be near the top of their wishlist.

Tottenham have been told that Maxi Araujo is a rare breed

According to various reports, Tottenham and Chelsea are eyeing a summer move for Sporting Lisbon star Maxi Araujo, who has been one of the most exciting full-backs on show in the Champions League this season.

It has been suggested that Spurs have regularly made scouting trips to Portugal to watch the Sporting left-back, who is protected by an €80m (£69m) release clause in his contract.

Arajuo’s former Uruguay youth coach Gustavo Ferreyra is not surprised that the 26-year-old is being linked with clubs such as the London giants, insisting that he would be a huge asset to any team.

When asked about the speculation linking the defender with the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea, Ferreyra told O Jogo (as relayed by Sport Witness): “Honestly, it’s not a surprise for me. A player like Maxi, with his qualities, capable of playing as a full-back, as a winger, and covering the entire flank with the same determination and intensity, is not easy to find. Because of that, I say he will certainly reach one of the big clubs being talked about.

“I’ve known him since he was around 17. I had him in the U18, U20 and U23 teams. The level he is showing now does not surprise me. At that time, he played as a winger at his club [Montevideo Wanderers] and as a left-back for the national team. He had and still has the physical and technical conditions to perform those roles without problems. He is very versatile.

“It was because of that versatility that he was signed by Puebla. That experience did him a lot of good because it was from that moment that he gained independence, even financially, as his family was very humble.”

De Zerbi may like the reports on Araujo’s character

It is already apparent in his early days at Tottenham that De Zerbi is an extremely passionate coach who lives and breathes the game and demands the same from his players in training.

Based on Ferreyra’s revelation about Araujo’s character, the left-back may fit in well with the new Tottenham boss’s philosophy, as he is described as brave, aggressive and mentally strong.

The Uruguay international’s youth coach added about the player: “His nickname with us is ‘El Papo’. It has several meanings, but we used it to describe someone with a very strong personality, very brave. Mentally, he is very strong. That more temperamental style had a lot to do with the very complicated economic context he came from. He grew up quickly.

“He was a very temperamental player in training and we had to control that. I remember that before a major U23 international tournament, I took him to a restaurant and we had a private conversation about his temperament and how he reacted in training.”

“He was very aggressive, but he gradually controlled that. He understood what I told him and handled that aspect very well during the competition. He has no fear, he faces opponents, he fights. He has great power to cover the entire flank.”