Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for a new right wing-back this month, with several names mooted in the media...

What's the word?

The Lilywhites have been strongly linked with a move for Sporting CP dynamo Pedro Porro but the Portuguese giants will not let him leave in January unless they pay his €45m (£40m) release clause, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Now, AS Monaco star Vanderson has emerged as a potential alternative, according to Calciomercatoweb, but Spurs will face competition from Antonio Conte's former club, Inter Milan.

The 21-year-old would be available at a far cheaper €20m (£18m).

Bargain Porro alternative

It's easy to see why the north Londoners are so intent on finding Conte a new right wing-back as he remains unconvinced by his current options.

Just a few months after his arrival in the capital, The Times claimed that the Italian was seeking an upgrade to both Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty, with Wolverhampton Wanderers powerhouse Adama Traore a top target.

By the summer, sporting director Fabio Paratici had taken steps to alleviate the problem by swooping for young Middlesbrough gem Djed Spence for a whopping £20m after an impressive campaign for promoted Nottingham Forest. However, Conte very quickly made it clear that it was a club signing for the future rather than his own and since then, the 20-year-old hasn't had a sniff at starting regularly.

That makes the need for an improvement all that more severe, with Tottenham in a rut of inconsistency on the pitch in recent months.

And with Porro seemingly out of reach for the time being - otherwise Paratici would have surely pulled the trigger on a £40m deal - it seems as if Vanderson could be an ideal and cheap alternative at half the price.

He's certainly a viable one, too, as compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five elite divisions, he ranks very favourably for key attributes in the role.

The Brazilian ace sits amongst the top 5% for interceptions and blocks per 90, and the top 10% for tackles per 90, as well as in the top 16% for progressive passes, successful dribbles and touches in the opposition box per 90, via FBref.

This would suggest that he's more than capable of fulfilling the role at Spurs as he can clearly influence the game at either end of the pitch and that's what will be expected under Conte.

Once described as "wonderkid" by a former FC Twente scout and "complete" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vanderson has also been likened to players such as Alphonso Davies and Joao Cancelo in terms of statistical profile, which only bodes well for his claims of being Tottenham's starting right wing-back.

As such, Paratici and co could do little wrong in opting to sign the 21-year-old over Porro before the transfer deadline on January 31st.

AND in other news, Contact made: Paratici eyeing "sensational" £30m gem, he'd be a "revelation" at Spurs...