Tottenham Hotspur have finally agreed a deal for Sporting CP defender Pedro Porro, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The Lowdown: Porro saga
As reported by The Athletic's David Ornstein in the early hours of Monday morning, Tottenham's long-running saga chasing Porro seemed to have come to an unceremonious end, with the deal then "off".
Porro was "tentatively scheduled" in for an N17 medical having waved goodbye to Sporting fans after their cup final loss this weekend, as per Alasdair Gold, but the move fell apart as Sporting had a "change of heart" over a £2.6m dispute relating to administrative fees.
Then, with time ticking for Spurs to get a new right-back in, there were rumours that chairman Daniel Levy had personally stepped in to take over the negotiations, and it appears he's been successful.
The Latest: Romano shares huge update
Writing in a tweet on Monday evening, Romano revealed Levy has gotten a deal over the line: "Tottenham are resolving all the issues with Sporting and are finally expected to complete Pedro Porro deal on Deadline Day.
"Long meeting just finished with full agreement in place — Spurs waiting for documents and contracts to make sure it’s 100% sealed."
The Italian transfer guru continued to reveal a total agreement on the deal: "Tottenham and Sporting have finally reached full agreement… again after very long meeting — €45m, payment terms finally approved after Sporting’s change last night. Porro will travel to London tomorrow — he only wanted Spurs move."
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The Verdict: Redemption...
It all seemed set up for Levy to redeem himself to Spurs fans by getting this deal done over the next 24 hours, and while there would certainly still be plenty of unhappy voices amongst the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful, it's fair to say Porro is worth the hassle.
Over the last 12 months the 23 year-old ranks in the 94th percentile or higher for every attacking metric and in the 71st percentile or higher for all but one possession based metric, when compared with other full-backs in the 'next eight leagues' (the next best competitions after Europe's big five domestic leagues), as per FBRef.
Albeit plying their trades in a stronger division, neither Matt Doherty or Emerson Royal can replicate Porro's numbers, with the Spaniard supplying an incredible three goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season, ranking as Sporting's top playmaker domestically.
It's going to be an anxious deadline day for both Antonio Conte and the Spurs fans, but hopefully Levy can finally get this one done.