After securing Europa League qualification in their first campaign without Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur have a massive summer ahead of them.
If Daniel Levy and Co want to give Ange Postecoglou the best chance of succeeding in his aim of taking the club back to the top, they will have to seriously back him.
Luckily for fans, that looks like it may be happening, as the latest player touted for a move to N17 is one of the most exciting right-backs in Europe, although it could spell trouble for Pedro Porro.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Tottenham Hotspur are one of several Premier League teams interested in Feyenoord's exciting right-back, Lutsharel Geertruida.
Alongside the Lilywhites, Liverpool and North London rivals, Arsenal are said to be keen on bringing the defender to England this summer.
While the Dutchman has been an essential cog in the Rotterdam side's recent successes, the report claims the club are happy to let him go in the summer and cash in, so long as teams pay them their €32m valuation, which is around £27m.
While it's not a bargain, £27m does seem fair for a player who has looked so impressive over the last few years, and so Levy and Co should be looking to get this deal over the line, even at the expense of Porro.
How Geertruida compares to Porro
So, if Spurs were able to get his deal over the line and bring Geertruida to the white half of North London, his most significant barrier to first-team football would be Porro. But how do the pair stack up against one another?
Well, when looking at their raw output, it's clear that both full-backs like to get forward and help out with attacks, but as impressive as the Spurs man is, it's the "monumental" Dutchman, as U23 scout Antonio Mango dubbed him, who comes out on top here.
In his 47 games this season, he scored nine goals and provided five assists, which is a goal involvement every 3.3 games, whereas the Spaniard's four goals and seven assists in 51 games work out to a goal involvement every 4.6 games.
Appearances
47
51
Goal
9
4
Assists
5
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.29
0.21
Unfortunately for the former Sporting CP man, while the comparison isn't entirely as one-sided when looking at the pair's underlying numbers, this is another area in which he loses out to the 23-year-old.
For example, while the Rotterdam-born star comes out second best for metrics such as assists, shots, shot-creating actions, tackles, blocks and interceptions, he comes out ahead for most others, including non-penalty expected goals and assists, non-penalty goals, progressive passes and carries, shots on target, passing accuracy, aerial duels won and errors, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.37
0.30
Non-Penalty Goals
0.21
0.09
Assists
0.15
0.20
Progressive Carries
2.54
1.66
Progressive Passes
7.93
5.66
Shots
1.16
1.54
Shots on Target
0.47
0.35
Passing Accuracy
89.6%
76.2%
Shot-Creating Actions
2.96
3.12
Tackles
1.45
2.65
Blocks
0.53
1.84
Interceptions
0.92
0.99
Errors Leading to a Shot
0.06
0.09
Aerial Duels Won
0.62
0.44
Moreover, while the Spurs ace can play slightly further up the pitch and in a wing-back position, he can't match the versatility of the Feyenoord star, who has started games at centre-back, left-back and even defensive midfield.
Lastly, while Porro is a brilliant player, Geertruida appears to have him beaten in most important areas, and with Mango describing him as a player who "oozes class on the ball," bringing him to N17 should be a priority in the coming weeks.
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