The Mendes clients Tottenham could target following Nuno appointment

Tottenham's lengthy manager search drew to a close on Wednesday evening as they announced the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo. Spurs had been without a manager for over two months after sacking Jose Mourinho in the week leading up to the Carabao Cup final back in April and while supporters had hoped for a quick appointment, it wasn't until the final day of June, and shortly before pre-season was to get underway, that Nuno was confirmed. 

Fabio Paratici's push for the former Wolves boss will have gone down will with renowned super-agent Jorge Mendes. The pair supposedly developed a good working relationship stemming back to when the deal to take Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus back in 2018 was struck and Spurs' appointment of Nuno will have strengthened that partnership. 

Now for Paratici is the need to bring in fresh blood to rejuvenate a stagnant Spurs squad. There is expected to be significant overhaul as the north London side prepare for a rebuild and signing players that would suit Nuno's three-man defensive system is key. That said, the 47-year-old has showed his versatility in the past, utilising a 4-3-3 with Valencia and FC Porto and attempting to usher in a 4-2-3-1 with Wolves last term. 

Nevertheless, it's time to bolster a squad capable of challenging for the top-four once more. Talks are ongoing regarding a deal for Bologna's Takehiro Tomiyasu, while Jules Kounde and Joachim Andersen are on Spurs' wanted list. None are on the books with Gestifute, Jorge Mendes' sport agency, but then there are those represented by Mendes' company that Paratici can look to in order to aid Spurs' rebuild this summer. 

Renato Sanches - Lille 

Renato Sanches didn't make a telling impression during his time with Swansea. The lasting memory proved to be the young midfielder mistaking a red Carabao logo for a teammate and passing the ball out of play during a game at Chelsea. He returned to Bayern, but eventually settled with Lille, where he played a starring role in their 2020/21 title success. Joining for around €25 in August 2019, Lille stand to make a hefty profit on the 23-year-old should they seek to sell. 

Portugal's last-16 Euro 2020 exit won't have put off potential suitors either, as Sanches won further admirers for his performances in the Selecao midfield. Spurs need to bolster the midfield, but an obvious stumbling block would be Lille's asking price. The French side have made a habit of buying low and selling high in the past and, as recently as March, the Ligue 1 winners slapped an €80m price tag on the Portugal international. His form this summer means that fee would likely have risen, too. 

Sergio Oliveira - Porto 

Another Portugal international, Sergio Oliveira was restricted to just 12 minutes of game time at A Selecao's doomed Euro 2020 campaign, but after a solid season for FC Porto, the 29-year-old's stock remains high. A move to Fiorentina last month fell through after Gennaro Gattuso stepped away from the Viola three weeks after agreeing to take over the Italian side from July 1st. A move to Spurs and a reunion with Nuno has since been mooted. 

Oliveira only registered 20 minutes of league game time under Nuno during their solitary season together with FC Porto and while his age would put off potential suitors, Spurs could certainly use another goalscoring threat from midfield. Tanguy Ndombele was the north London side's top scoring central midielder in the Premier League last season, but even he scored just three times in England's top tier. A bulk of Oliveira's 13 league goals may have come from the spot, but his prowess from midfield is not to be overlooked and a quality Spurs could maximise. 

Rafa Mir - Wolves 

Andre Silva could have been considered a serious target for Tottenham prior to his move to RB Leipzig, and potentially viewed as a viable replacement for Harry Kane further down the line. However, there is another who is a lesser known frontman knocking about Europe that could be available on the cheap. Rafa Mir spent last season on loan with Huesca and while they were relegated from La Liga, the 24-year-old impressed, netting 13 of their 34 league goals.

Contracted to Wolves at present, Mir has just a year left to run on his current deal with the Premier League side and it's reported that he is set to reject any new offer from the Midlands side. Mir will be heading to the Olympics with Spain, so any pre-season will be delayed if he does move clubs in the off-season. He is not a household name on the circuit, which could ultimately work in Spurs' favour. Having played in a side that averaged just 7.8 key passes per game last season, Mir would benefit operating in a team that creates more and as a deputy for Kane, the Spaniard could prove a shrewd capture.

Diego Costa - Free Agent 

A left field option, admittedly, but in being a free agent, there is a low risk, high reward appeal to Diego Costa... OK perhaps not a low risk, but as a backup for Harry Kane, the Spanish striker would be a Premier League experienced addition to the squad. Costa is without a club after terminating his contract with Atletico Madrid back in 2020 as he struggled for game time and form. 

In his four seasons since leaving Chelsea, the 32-year-old has scored just 12 league goals, yet he wouldn't command a fee, which would appeal to this Spurs side in the current market. While there may be some bad blood between Costa and the north London side stemming from his time at Chelsea, his experience in this league makes him a somewhat appealing proposition. 

When all is said and done, though, Spurs fans have every right to approach another window where Jorge Mendes is involved with trepidition. The last three of his clients to move to Spurs were Gedson Fernandes, Matt Doherty and Carlos Vinicius. Jose Mourinho is also on his books, and that hardly ended well between the Portuguese boss and Spurs. Fernandes was an unmitigated disaster for the club, Doherty has struggled to replicate his Wolves form in north London, however the appointment of Nuno may give him a shot in the arm, while Vinicius, impressive in the Europa League, scored just one league goal in 2020/21. 

It's a list that doesn't full fans with confidence, but with Paratici now running the show, supporters are hopeful for an improvment in quality to come through the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the transfer window.