Tottenham's Late-Window Reshuffle: Sarr, Moore, and Souza Depart
Tottenham are braced for a late-window reshuffle, with Pape Matar Sarr set to headline a flurry of exits and a familiar face potentially on his way back to Goodison Park.
Standard Sport understands Spurs have agreed a deal with Juventus for Sarr to join on loan, with the Italian giants holding a £25.7million option to buy at the end of the season. For a player once viewed as a long-term midfield pillar, it is a significant moment and a clear sign of how quickly the landscape has shifted under Roberto De Zerbi.
The Sarr move is part of a broader clear-out. Highly rated teenager Mikey Moore has been given the go-ahead to complete a loan switch to Bundesliga side Koln, a move designed to fast-track his development with regular senior minutes in Germany. Left-back Souza, meanwhile, is heading to Porto on loan until the end of the campaign, another young talent sent abroad to harden his edges.
Spurs are not simply trimming numbers. They are still pushing to bring in another attacker before the deadline and remain in talks with Everton over a deal for Iliman Ndiaye. The Senegal international has long been admired for his versatility across the front line, and his arrival would add a different profile to De Zerbi’s options.
The intrigue does not end there on Merseyside. In a separate negotiation, Everton are working on a deal to bring Richarlison back to the club. The Brazilian, a cult hero at Goodison and a more complicated figure in north London, has made it clear he wants out of Spurs, and the possibility of a reunion with his former club is gathering pace.
De Zerbi did not hide from the situation when he spoke over the weekend. The Spurs head coach confirmed that Richarlison has asked to leave, grouping him with Sarr and defender Kevin Danso, who has drawn loan interest from Sunderland.
“He said too many times [that] he wants to leave,” De Zerbi admitted of Richarlison. “Danso came to me two days ago, and he said he wants to leave, and Pape Sarr, the same, but he suffer[ed] a small injury, but he is almost ready to train.”
It was a revealing snapshot of a squad in motion and a manager unafraid to call the situation as he sees it. De Zerbi then went a step further, making his stance on unsettled players unmistakably clear.
“I love these players, they are great guys, I have very good relationships, but if they want to leave, they have to bring the solution, the economic solution, to the club, and they can go, and we find other players.”
The message could hardly be sharper. Commitment or a clean break. For Sarr, Moore and Souza, that break now looks imminent. For Richarlison, the door to Everton is ajar again. The question is how many more will follow them through the exit before the window slams shut.
