The lowdown on Brazilian goalkeeper linked with Spurs | OneFootball

In the last day or so, per a report from Brazilian media outlet UOL, who have also reported Fluminense’s interest in Richarlison, Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor Maciel Furtrado has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The career of Tottenham linked goalkeeper John from Brazil

The goalkeeper, mononymously known as John, is 28-years old, and helped Botafogo to their historic double in the 2024 season, as they won both the Brasileiro Série A, and the Conmebol Libertadores. The latter was the first time they had ever won the competition. The South American football schedule runs on a calendar year basis, so it is currently the off season over there.

There is no rest for the wicked, however. Botafogo played their final game of the year on the 11th of December, and will play their first game of the 2025 calendar on the 11th January. Exactly a month between, and that does not include pre-season preparations. An absolutely mental schedule.

During this successful season, John more than played his part, as he featured in 34/38 league games, and in 10 of their 13 Conmebol Liberdatores games. In the final, Botafogo were reduced to ten men within the first minute of the game, but eventually won the game 3-1, with John making three saves to ensure they got over the line.

Something to note is that, despite being 28 years of age, John has only played 122 games in his entire career. It should be caveated that goalkeepers do start their careers later, and often do not hit their peak until their 30’s. Still, this does seem a bit odd – particularly as he has played almost all of his career in Brazil, where as touched on above, they do play an absolutely obscene amount of games.

Nevertheless, without knowing much about his career, it would be unfair to judge him on that. The goalkeeper has a contract with the Brazilian side until the summer of 2027 (despite their season ending in December), and with the discrepancy between South American football and European football, he could be attainable for a reasonable fee.

As it stands, Fraser Forster is out of contract in the summer, and will be turning 37. That said, with John being the same age as Guglielmo Vicario, it would feel a strange age to come as a cover goalkeeper. Plus, Spurs need all the help they can get when it comes to the homegrown quota, and Forster has been really useful for that. You feel they may look to give him another year.