Tottenham’s chances of securing the services of young Brazilian star Leandro Damiao appear to have increased today after Napoli upset the president of the 23 year-old’s club by talking directly to the agent without getting the green light from his employer’s first.
Napoli’s stumble over protocol came as they were looking to find a ready-made replacement for Edinson Cavani who increasingly looks like moving from the light blues of Napoli to the sky blues of Manchester City. Internacional’s president however appears to have scotched that plan by declaring that he thinks it highly likely that Leandro will be playing in England next season, and confirming talks with Tottenham had taken place. He dismissed the Italian club’s chances of taking the player to Naples however.
There were strong rumours that Spurs had chased the player during the January window, but failed to close the deal. It appears that in the summer, they may well have more luck in adding the Brazialian to their strike force. With Jermaine Defoe a consistent scorer, it looks like the arrival of the Brazilian may well be bad news for Adebayor. The Togo international may well be on his travels again, and there’ll probably be no shortage of takers – especially across Europe - so long as the salary demands can be moderated. Italian and German clubs are not so indulgent of inflated pay demands these days.
Adebayor has had a strange career path, with sharp peaks and deep troughs following each other in rapid and regular succession. Blessed with extravagant skill, a physique well suited to a leader of the line and more than ample pace, it seems strange that he hasn’t found a permanent home. It may be that he has flights of caprice, becomes bored easily, or is just one of those players still seeking his home. As a pundit on television, he comes over as an intelligent, well-mannered and polite bloke, and yet carries the burden of a reputation as being a difficult colleague and prickly teammate. Each club he joined since his departure from arsenal has enjoyed a meteoric first season, before the seemingly inevitable decline, as the novelty apparently wore off. The full explanation though cannot be that simple.
Should Totenham secure Leandro and seek to move Adebayor out, it may be that there’s a ready-made home awaiting him in Napoli as Cavani’s replacement. If he does rock up in Naples, the tifosi can expect a sensational start to his term there, but after that, unless the normal pattern is broken, it could be a short stay.
Source: DSG
