Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly trying to hijack West Ham United’s move to sign talented Sao Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia.
90Min claim that as the Hammers haggle over the price for Maia, Tottenham have entered the race for the 20-year-old’s signature.
The East London outfit were first linked with a move to sign the Sao Paulo midfielder last month.
Now, West Ham manager David Moyes is already on the verge of bringing Maia’s teammate Luizao to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.
So adding another Brazilian on top of the 20-year-old centre-back would be really exciting for West Ham. It seems as though Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is ready to make the Hammers’ task slightly more difficult though.
Pablo Maia is a hugely talented young midfielder. So it’s little wonder why two Premier League clubs with the size and stature of the Hammers and Spurs are chasing him.
The East London outfit are leading the race, bit Tottenham have begun to lurk…
Tottenham could hijack West Ham move to sign Pablo Maia
90Min claims that the Hammers are keen to sign he 20-year-old defensive midfielder on loan in January, with an option to buy him in the summer.
Sao Paulo would prefer to sell him permanently this winter though, and as West Ham continue to hold conversations with the Brazilian club, Tottenham are said to be closely monitoring developments.
That is obviously a worry for the Hammers. Spurs are in a far better position that us at the moment, and it would be no surprise if the Brazilian midfielder was keen to join Conte’s ranks rather than Moyes’s.
He has been described as a ‘mini Casemiro’ by Football Talent Scout. With comparisons like that, Maia must have something very special about him.
Meanwhile, Total Football Analysis suggest that his emergence over the past 12 months has been a ‘pleasing surprise’.
Maia is a real talent, and seems to have all of the attributes needed to succeed in the Premier League.
Sao Paulo chief Muricy Ramalho offered an insight into what Maia is all about as a player, when speaking to Brazilian website Sampi earlier this year:
Pablo Maia plays as the (deep-lying) midfielder. He gives security to our defence. He has a good pass too. He’s not just about marking (opposition forwards). Nowadays, the midfielder has to play too, and he has a good pass. Of course, he does the simple things but he keeps the ball. He gives stability to Sao Paulo.
The 20-year-old sounds like exactly the kind of player the Hammers need in the middle of the park.
Moyes absolutely must sign an upgrade on Tomas Soucek, if he is to guide us to any kind of success over the next few years.
And West Ham signing Pablo Maia in the January transfer window would be a real forward step for the club in my opinion.
UOL claim that he will cost around £9 million. I think that would represent great value for the Hammers.
Tottenham trying to hijack West Ham United’s move to sign Pablo Maia will be a real problem for us though, there is no doubt about that.
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