Tottenham fans are desperate for one of Giovani Lo Celso or Bruno Fernandes to sign this summer. The Sun have claimed that Lo Celso is close whilst Fernandes is being touted by Sky Sports, so it will come as a relief that Malcom is now not on the table anymore after his move to Zenit.
The Brazilian was linked with a £40m move to Tottenham as recently as July 29th by Spanish outlet Sport, but the winger is not what the club needs and would certainly not be as effective as either Lo Celso or Fernandes.
Now, though, the fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief, as Zenit St. Petersburg have announced the signing of the Barcelona man, ending any speculation that he may end up at Tottenham anytime soon.
We’re not in the business of criticising the player, and Malcom has shown his talents previously, notably in his time with Bordeaux, but Barcelona was not the right move for 22-year-old and the last thing he’d have wanted was another dud move, something Spurs could have been.
Malcom’s talents are best seen when he’s used as a goalscoring winger, and at the Camp Nou, he wasn’t given those chances. At Tottenham, it may have been similar as he isn’t about to dislodge Heung-Min Son or Lucas Moura, and he’s not as good when used through the middle.
According to Transfermarkt, when used on the right-wing, Malcom has bagged 25 goals and 19 assists in his 93 career matches. A much better total than the two goals and zero assists in his 19 games throughout the central attacking areas.
The priority for Tottenham has to be someone to take over from Christian Eriksen. The Dane’s deal expires next summer and finding a suitable #10 to take his role will be key, fortunately, Malcom is now out of the equation, meaning the club have one less dud on their radar.