Gustavo Varela has gone from Benfica’s B team to the top of the Serie A scoring charts in three months, and that is why Tottenham are now on the list of clubs watching the 21-year-old Monza striker.
Nine goals in his first nine Serie A games, two more in his only Coppa Italia outing and the league’s Rising Star award for October make him one of the hottest young forwards in Europe right now. Reports suggest Tottenham have joined Arsenal, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund in tracking him, with RB Leipzig and Benfica also keeping an eye on his progress.
So who is he, how does he play, and would he actually suit Roberto De Zerbi’s side? Here is our Gustavo Varela scouting report.
Who is Gustavo Varela?
Varela is a centre-forward born on 30 January 2005. He plays for Portugal at Under-21 level and also holds a Cape Verdean passport through his parents.
Monza announced his permanent signing from Benfica on 27 July 2026 and gave him a contract until 30 June 2030. The fee was €2.5m plus bonuses, and reports suggest Benfica kept a 20% sell-on clause and the right to match any future offer, which explains why the Portuguese giants are still watching so closely.
Gustavo Varela youth career and background
He joined Benfica’s academy in 2022 and moved up to the B team, where he made 22 league appearances and scored three goals in 2023-24. The next season was the breakthrough: 11 goals in 34 matches in Portugal’s second tier, and a first-team debut on the final day of the league campaign.
Benfica then sent him on loan to Gil Vicente for 2025-26. He made 32 appearances and scored six goals as the club finished sixth, a decent but hardly spectacular return. By the time he left for Italy he had also scored three times in five games for Portugal’s Under-21s.
Gustavo Varela style of play
Ivan Juric handed him the central striker’s role at Monza almost straight away, and Varela has played like a classic number nine. He is tall, physical and mobile, and his best work happens inside the penalty area.
His goals show the range. On his Serie A debut against Inter he shook off Akanji before finishing, a proper centre-forward’s move, even if Monza lost 4-1. In the next league game, against Udinese, he scored with a precise header. Against Torino on 23 October he pounced on a short back-pass and lobbed the goalkeeper, and on 31 October he put Monza ahead at Bologna from the penalty spot.
Strengths
Finishing is the obvious one. Early in the season he was scoring with almost every shot he put on target, and his conversion rate has stayed high since. He also delivers in big moments: his brace beat Sassuolo 2-1 for Monza’s first Serie A win of the season, and he scored twice and set up another in the 4-0 win over Cagliari on 19 October.
He is not just a poacher either. October brought five goals in four league games plus an assist, and his passing has been cleaner in Italy than it was at Gil Vicente.
Weaknesses
The physical battle is where he still has work to do. In his first seven Serie A games he won only 17 of his 59 duels, and just 7 of 26 in the air, which is low for a striker of his size. He rarely makes tackles, too.
Juric has been honest about it. “He has a lot of room to improve,” the Monza coach said after the Sassuolo win. “I work with him a lot individually and try to give him the tools so he can become an important player.”
Gustavo Varela stats this season
His numbers for Monza in 2026-27, as of 6 November 2026:
| Competition | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Serie A | 9 | 9 |
| Coppa Italia | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 10 | 11 |
The Coppa Italia goals came in a brace against Avellino. Nine goals in nine Serie A games also put him level with a piece of history: the last player to reach that mark was Milan striker Pierino Prati in 1968.
Gustavo Varela potential and fit at Tottenham
In our view, Varela fits what De Zerbi’s Spurs are building more than it might first seem. Tottenham create chances through patient passing, and a striker who lives in the box and converts at his rate is exactly the type to finish them off.
The timing is interesting too. Fulham and Everton are circling Richarlison ahead of January, and while Spurs still hold the first option on any Harry Kane return, that is a story for another day. A young striker with this kind of finishing would give the club a long-term option up front.
But there are real questions. His duel numbers would be punished in the Premier League, where centre-backs are quicker and stronger, and ten games is a small sample after a season of six goals at Gil Vicente. Benfica’s matching right also complicates any deal.
Is Gustavo Varela worth the risk for Spurs?
We would keep watching rather than rush. As we said when Tottenham first joined the race for the Monza striker, one brilliant autumn is not a reason to pay a big fee in January. If he is still scoring at this rate in the spring and his physical game has grown under Juric, Varela becomes a serious summer target, and Spurs would be right to move before the price goes out of reach.
