The Spanish media are suggesting that Johnny Cardoso, who Tottenham have a first option on next summer, is struggling at the start of the season.
Cardoso won many admirers after breaking into the Real Betis team last season and Tottenham evidently saw enough to take a punt on the midfielder.
As part of the agreement to take Giovani Lo Celso to Betis on deadline day, Spurs reportedly agreed an option to buy the 22-year-old midfielder for around €25m-€30m (£21m-£25.2m), which can be activated in next summer’s transfer window (Pepe Elias).
However, it turns out that the USA international is struggling to replicate the form he showed last season, with the youngster’s performances so far in 2024-25 leaving a lot to be desired.
Cardoso was left out of the starting eleven by Manuel Pellegrini on Sunday as Betis faced Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Seville-based club suffered a 2-0 defeat, owing to a Kylian Mbappe brace, with the young midfielder coming off the bench for a late cameo.
El Desmarque gave Cardoso just a four out of 10 rating for his performance and wrote about him: “He is not quite the same as last season, with errors with the ball and sometimes arriving late.
Meanwhile, El Correo de Andalucia said about the Betis man: “He came on for William to help Marc Roca contain Madrid. They managed to do so for a few minutes, but the American is still far from his best form.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is still early days in the season, with several players still working their way up to full fitness.
It is premature to write off Cardoso as a one-season wonder right now but Tottenham will certainly be keeping a close on his performances.
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