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Tottenham end pursuit of Bundesliga striker following ACL injury

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 10:47 AM ET

Tottenham suffer setback in pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos following serious knee injury

Tottenham Hotspur have seemingly started scouring the goalkeeping market, despite only signing Antonín Kinsky from Slavia Prague during the January transfer window.

After arriving at N17, Kinsky was thrown at the deep end against Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at home. And the 22-year-old produced a strong display in goal, receiving plaudits from the fans and the pundits for keeping a clean sheet against a strong Liverpool attack.

However, soon the Czech Republic man started showing his inexperience and making errors. It was enough to suggest that Kinsky was still not ready to play regular first-team football at Tottenham. In mid-February, Guglielmo Vicario returned to action after spending more than three months on the sidelines following an ankle fracture. The Italian’s absence was a huge miss for Ange Postecoglou’s side, as proven by the number of goals they conceded.

Doppeltes Verletzungspech beim Spiel gegen die Spurs

Torhüter @KauSanttos18 hat sich eine Knieverletzung zugezogen. Bei den ausführlichen Untersuchungen am heutigen Nachmittag wurde ein Kreuzbandriss diagnostiziert, der den 22-Jährigen zu einer längeren Pause zwingt.… pic.twitter.com/7pTYM8qmq3
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@Eintracht) April 18, 2025

Vicario, however, has not pulled up trees since making his comeback from injury. He was at fault for two of Tottenham’s four goals in the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend at Molineux. Those mistakes were an addition to several high-profile errors the 28-year-old has made since arriving at Spurs from Empoli in 2023.

The Hotspur Way chiefs are looking at a new No.1, perhaps evidenced by the actions of the club’s technical director, Johan Lange. After Eintracht Frankfurt had held Spurs to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals at home, Johan Lange reportedly held discussions with the Bundesliga club’s officials over their goalkeeper Kaua Santos.

The performance of Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos was so impressive against Tottenham in the first leg that Lange could not stop himself from making an enquiry about him. The Brazilian has been deputising very well in the absence of the club’s No.1 Kevin Trapp.

However, on Friday, Frankfurt’s official X account stated that Santos suffered a cruciate ligament tear in the Europa League quarter-final second leg defeat to Tottenham. This perhaps happened after the Brazilian shot-stopper recklessly wiped out James Maddison and conceded a penalty in the first half, which was calmly slotted by Dominic Solanke.

Ange Postecoglou admired Maddison’s bravery for putting his body on the line to earn his team a penalty, whilst being amazed that the Frankfurt goalkeeper was not sent off for his wild action. While Maddison is still sore and doubtful for Monday’s league game against Nottingham Forest, it is unfortunate that Santos is now set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

This is not only a major blow to Frankfurt but also the player himself. Not only will the South American be out of action for a year, but he has also potentially missed out on a big transfer to Tottenham.

It is a setback from Spurs’ perspective as well, though, Santos’ €60m valuation was never realistic. That said, the N17 bosses must shift their focus to other goalkeeping targets.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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