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Carlos Vinicius to Tottenham ‘a win-win’ for both parties – Jose Gomes
The 25-year-old's former boss has backed the player to cause Premier League centre-backs headaches after he completed a loan from Benfica
New Tottenham striker Carlos Vinicius has been tipped to be a great success at the club by his former Rio Ave boss Jose Gomes.
The 25-year-old has been well travelled over his short professional career to date, with Spurs set to be his eighth different side since 2016.
After spells at the likes of Napoli and Monaco, it was with Benfica that he made his real breakthrough, netting 18 times in 33 league games for the Lisbon club and earning a move to the Premier League side this summer on loan.
Gomes, who is now in charge at Almeria in the Segunda Division, believes that Vinicius will successfully provide competition to Harry Kane.
"He's a powerful player, and very intelligent," Gomes told The Athletic. "He is someone who always gets himself into goalscoring positions.
"He has a great sense for where opportunities are going to appear. He shoots with enormous power with his left foot. He protects the ball really well - even when defenders are pressuring him, he is able to shield the ball and turn his man to get a shot in.
"I used him as a No.9, a penalty-box striker. But we looked to make the most of his mobility: he likes to make diagonal runs into wide areas, behind the full-backs.
"He's someone who holds the ball up well, which allows the rest of the team to move up the pitch and start an attack, or just take a breath. He was our reference point in attacking transitions.
"English football is very intense, and very demanding for strikers. But I think he will show what he can do.
"He will help the team - by holding up the ball, by finding space to get a shot off, by giving opposition centre-backs plenty to think about when he is near the area.
"It’s a good move for Vinicius and for Tottenham. This is a win-win for both parties."
The striker will be aiming to make his debut after the international break, when Tottenham play host to West Ham in a derby encounter.
Jose Mourinho’s men are currently sixth in the Premier League standings, with seven points from four games.
