Real Madrid's Brazilian defender Eder Militao gestures during the Spanish league football match RCD Mallorca against Real Madrid CF at the Iberostar estadi stadium in Palma de Mallorca on October 19, 2019. (Getty Images)
Back in March, a report from Sky Sports (h/t Football.London) had claimed that Tottenham were ready to offer Real Madrid as much as €40million for centre-back Eder Militao. However, a move to North London failed to materialise for the highly-rated defender, with Spurs eventually shifting their focus to other targets before the summer deadline.
Eder Militao rose through the youth ranks of Sao Paulo in Brazil and made 57 appearances in all competitions before moving abroad with Portuguese giants FC Porto in 2018. Militao attracted interest from several top clubs in Europe as a result of his consistently impressive displays in Portugal while also catching the eye in the Champions League.
He featured 47 times for Porto in all competitions in his debut season before joining Real Madrid last summer. The Brazilian starlet made only 20 appearances for the Los Blancos last term, including 10 starts in the La Liga due to the presence of accomplished stars like Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in the mix.
Militao earned rave reviews for his performances despite his limited game time at the Bernabeu in his debut season. The 22-year-old has already been capped on 8 occasions by the Brazil national team and was a part of the squad that won the 2019 Copa America.
Tottenham were linked with Inter Milan star Milan Skriniar throughout the summer following the departure of long-serving Jan Vertonghen. But the North Londoners eventually ended up signing talented Welshman Joe Rodon from Swansea City.
However, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Spurs to bring in another talented young defender in January or next summer. Toby Alderweireld signed a long-term contract last year but the Belgian is set to turn 32 before the end of the season. Therefore, Jose Mourinho will need to dive into the market for a replacement sooner than later with one eye on the future.
Eric Dier has been shifted to a central defensive role by Mourinho this season, but question marks remain over the England international’s ability to do a job at the back on a consistent basis. The same goes for Davinson Sanchez, who hasn’t quite delivered on his potential after joining Spurs back in 2017.
With Juan Foyth farmed out on loan and apparently not featuring in the manager’s plans, Tottenham ideally need to polish another up and coming defender to take over the reins from Alderweireld moving forward. And making a renewed attempt to sign Eder Militao would go a long way towards solving the club’s defensive issues for the foreseeable future.
The 22-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best young centre-backs in Europe and has already proven his worth in the Champions League. Militao has been tipped for a bright future and has made significant strides towards fulfilling his promise.
Eder Militao still has a long-term contract with Real Madrid that runs until 2025, meaning he definitely won’t be available on the cheap. However, that shouldn’t stop Tottenham from testing the La Liga heavyweights’ resolve over the Brazilian with a hefty offer in January or next summer.
The 22-year-old still has his best years ahead of him and early signs suggest that he is very much a world-beater in the making. Having said that, Tottenham should definitely go back in the market for his services to ensure long-term stability at the back.