Fabio Paratici may have pulled off a £14.5m masterstroke at Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur director of football Fabio Paratici may have pulled off a masterstroke signing Pape Matar Sarr.

The Senegalese international was one of the brightest sparks in an otherwise ordinary display last night against AC Milan.

The 20-year-old was brought in 18 months ago from French side FC Metz for £14.5m.

He spent the first year of his Spurs career back on loan in Ligue 1, where he had a brilliant campaign.

He was one of the first names on the team sheet back at Metz, playing in 33 of their 38 league games.

Sarr returned to Tottenham last summer, and remained at the club as part of the first-team squad.

This looked like a more and more strange decision with each passing game, with Sarr regularly left on the bench or not in the squad altogether.

However, Paratici’s decision to sign Sarr looks to finally be paying off for Tottenham after his latest display.

The combative midfielder did not look out of place in the Champions League alongside Oliver Skipp last night.

Given Tottenham’s sudden injury crisis, his emergence as a viable option for Antonio Conte couldn’t have come at a better time.

Paratici signing Sarr finally looks to have paid off for Tottenham

Sarr has receives a huge amount of praise for his performance at the San Siro yesterday.

Pat Nevin was impressed by his intelligence on the ball, while Glenn Hoddle thought he was ‘excellent’.

Antonio Conte was really excited by his improvement in a Tottenham shirt, and Clement Lenglet singled him out as well.

The loss of Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma to serious injuries is a major concern for Spurs.

Sarr isn’t at the same level as Bentancur, but hasn’t looked out of place whenever called upon by Antonio Conte.

He’s likely competing with Skipp to line up alongside Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg for much of the season now.

If he can win that duel, then his long-term prospects in north London will suddenly look a lot brighter.

He didn’t look overwhelmed by the occasion, and his selection for the North London Derby last month suggests Conte does really trust him now.

Paratici’s work will be hailed by many Tottenham fans if Sarr continues to improve this quickly.