What Tottenham target Johnny Cardoso has in common with Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams

Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham Hotspur were not expected to be particularly busy on transfer deadline day, but they may have just pulled another surprising agreement out of the hat.

Spurs stunned fans earlier this summer when they signed Wilson Odobert seemingly out of nowhere.

On deadline day, Ange Postecoglou admitted he wasn’t expecting much business for Tottenham prior to the transfer window closing.

However, Fabrizio Romano has since taken to Twitter with an intriguing update regarding an agreement Spurs are said to have made.

The transfer insider said Tottenham are now “closing in on deal to agree on priority option to sign Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis in the future”.

In addition, Spurs “will also buy a percentage on future sale in case they decide against signing him”, as part of the Giovani Lo Celso to Betis deal.

By the sounds of it, it’s not quite a deal as much as an agreement for Cardoso.

He won’t be going on the Tottenham books just yet, but it’s almost as though they have “pre-booked” him.

Who is Tottenham target Johnny Cardoso? Real Betis midfielder who has taken La Liga by storm

Spurs have potentially secured themselves the future services of a player who is all the rage in Spain.

Cardoso is a 22-year-old midfielder who plies his trade for Real Betis and has already won 15 caps for the United States men’s national team.

He was born on 20 September 2001 in Denville Township, New Jersey, United States, to Brazilian parents and moved to Brazil when he was three months old.

Cardoso had stints at Avai and Criciuma before signing for Internacional’s youth academy and going on to make 144 competitive appearances for the Brazilian giants.

He then made the move to Betis in January 2024 and quickly became a starter for the Andalucian outfit, with 22 appearances, one goal and two assists to date.

Indeed, Cardoso made such an impact in his first five months in La Liga that he was nominated for the Young Player of the Season award.

He was in the running alongside the likes of Nico Williams, Rodrygo and eventual winner Yamine Lamal.

“Tactically, he’s almost a perfect central midfielder,” former USMNT star Tab Ramos recently told ESPN about Cardoso.

“That he was able to step into such a big club that has to win every week, and be able to do that with the calmness that he has shown is incredibly impressive for me. This kid, it seems like his pulse doesn’t go over 55.”

Johnny Cardoso style of play

Scouting outlet Breaking the Lines wrote an in-depth report about Cardoso in April this year, with some excerpts below.

‘With long balls and positioning being the 22-year-old’s major strengths, the Betis man brings stability and secureness to the Los Verdiblancos,’ they wrote.

‘Johnny plays behind the attacking line and above the defensive line acting as a defensive midfielder or a pivot based on the ball situation.

‘Showing class and character when being played on either side of the pitch in both attacking and defensive contributions has been the key for him to have become an integral part of the team.

‘The endurance to play at a higher intensity for the entire game along with his agility to fight for every single play has been wonderful, giving him more experience and a chance to develop his decision-making and football IQ.

‘Even though the 22-year-old has more presence in the midfield, he has an equal amount of contribution in the final third.

Cardoso has a beautiful right foot which helped him get his first La Liga goal against Athletic Club from outside the goal with a stunning strike.

‘Cardoso always makes him available on the edge of the box giving his team an extra option to find the back of the net.’