Scouting Tottenham Hotspur Transfer Target Rafa Silva

It is a new season, but Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remains almost reassuringly reliable in his core principles.

Speaking in his first pre-match press conference of the Premier League campaign, he was asked by a French journalist about Tottenham’s reported—here per Sky Sports’ Rory O’Callaghan—interest in Marseille’s Georges-Kevin N’Koudou. As always, the Argentinian politely refused to acknowledge any rumours linking the north Londoners with another club’s player.

Anyone also raising the possibility of Pochettino signing Braga attacking midfielder Rafa Silva will have been given short shrift too.

While talk of N’Koudou has dominated recent speculation, stories of Tottenham being interested in the Portugal international also emerged earlier this month.

The London Evening Standard’s Goncalo Lopes and Jonathan Johnson reported Spurs had watched Silva last season and were considering making a bid. The Mirror’s Darren Lewis also backed this up, writing the player would cost £10 million.

Earlier this year, Silva was linked by the Daily Star’s Jonathan Green with Manchester United and Liverpool too, as well as Braga’s Portuguese league rivals Benfica.

The calibre of the clubs the 23-year-old is being linked with is understandable.

Though Silva featured only once in Portugal’s victorious Euro 2016, his exploits with Braga have already marked him out as one of his country’s best young talents. The prospect of him challenging himself abroad is an exciting one.

Silva has become a prominent player for Braga since joining the club in 2013.

Last season, he made over 40 appearances for the first time and notably helped the club win the Portuguese Cup, beating Porto a year after scoring in a losing effort to Sporting Clube de Portugal. He excelled in the Europa League as well as domestically and also reached double figures in scoring for the first time, netting 11, per Soccerbase.

Like he is in his game in general, Silva is certainly comfortable finishing from different angles.

When setting himself up, he gives off an unhurried impression, taking the requisite time to adjust for the kind of shot required. That calm extends to more urgent attacking moments like late runs into the box and split-second opportunities too.

Here he has a touch many centre-forwards will admire and wish was their own. He does not so much strike it as caress it with the minimum force necessary to beat the goalkeeper, finishing with a practical stylishness.

That latter description could apply to the other significant facets of Silva’s game.

The good shooting touch extends to his passing game too. They are well-weighted and played with a composure and promptness that his team-mates welcome, whenever possible guided into a path that allows them to proceed without hesitation.

The simplicity of Silva’s passing is allowed because of the most eye-catching aspect of his playmaking. His …

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