Valentín Barco has backed Leonel Flores to make the jump from Boca Juniors to Europe “sooner or later”, and the youngster has been heavily linked with Tottenham and Brighton.
The Chelsea midfielder knows Flores and his Boca team-mate Tomás Aranda from Argentina’s youth national teams, and he came through the Boca academy before making the move to English football himself. When he was asked about the pair, he didn’t hold back.
Aranda has been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal. Flores is the one that matters in N17, and Barco’s description of him is exactly the sort of thing Tottenham fans will want to hear.
What did Barco say about Leonel Flores?
Speaking to journalist Gastón Edul and his brother on their YouTube show in Argentina, Barco was first asked for his opinion on the two Boca Juniors youngsters.
He said: “They’re very good. I’ve played with both of them in the national team and I think they’re incredible players.”
Asked whether they have the quality for Europe, he went further: “Yes, yes, definitely. I think they’ll come over to play here sooner or later.”
He also believes both are good enough for Argentina’s senior side: “Yes, they’ve both been with the national team and performed really, really well. I like them both a lot. They’re players with different characteristics, but they’re both very, very good.”
“He drives you mad”
The difference between them came up too. Aranda was described in the interview as a traditional Argentine enganche, the creative player who sits behind the forwards. Flores is the more direct one, and Barco agreed straight away.
“Yes, Flores is very dangerous. He gets the ball, runs straight at you and takes you on,” he said. “Every single time, he takes you on. And for a full-back, that’s… Well, he drives you mad.”
That carries weight coming from Barco, who has spent part of his own career at left-back and knows exactly what it is like to face that kind of player.
Why Tottenham and Brighton are watching Flores
Flores has been heavily linked with Spurs and Brighton. Nothing in Barco’s comments points to a bid, but they give a clear picture of how highly the youngster is rated by the players who have shared a dressing room with him.
It also fits a pattern. Tottenham’s scouts have been busy in South America lately, with Spurs among the clubs who sent scouts to Brazil to watch Cruzeiro’s €20m goalkeeper, and they have also been tracking Monza’s in-form striker in Serie A.
Is Leonel Flores the right kind of signing for Spurs?
On Barco’s description, Flores is a player who wants the ball, goes looking for his man and never stops trying. In our view, that is the kind of fearless attacker who should appeal to Roberto De Zerbi, whose Spurs side wants players brave enough to go one-on-one.
The catch is the competition. Brighton are in the picture too, and Chelsea and Arsenal are already circling his Boca team-mate. If Spurs are serious about Flores, the time to move is before the rest of Europe hears the same things Barco is saying. For now, this is a name worth remembering rather than a deal in the making.
