Tottenham Boss Gives Verdict on Barcelona Youngster After Spanish Scouting Mission

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has picked out talented forward Adama Traore as the player that most impressed him after his trip to the Mini Estadi on Sunday afternoon to watch Barcelona B in action.

Villas-Boas made the trip to Spain in order to watch Barcelona B take on Deportivo La Coruna in a Segunda division match that featured a host of teenagers looking to catch the eye of first team boss Tata Martino who was also in attendance.

Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo ran a photo of the Spurs boss in attendance and claimed that he was there to watch goalkeeper Jordi Masip, as well as midfielders Sergi Samper and Javi Espinosa.

Samper may well be known to Arsenal fans as Arsene Wenger attempted to sign the youngster two years ago when he convinced former Barcelona youth players Hector Bellerin and Jon Toral to make the move to north London.

Arsenal boss Wenger was keen to also recruit Samper but the classy central midfielder decided to remain at Barcelona and has since emerged from the youth ranks to represent the B team.

Tottenham would also have been well aware of his talent having witnessed it first hand when he excelled for Barcelona against the north London club in the NextGen two seasons ago, helping the Spanish side claim a 2-0 win at White Hart Lane.

However, when questioned on which player had impressed him the most, Villas-Boas simply answered "Adama", referring to 17 year old striker Adama Traore.

The Spain youth international is of Malian descent but was born in Catalonia and has quickly progressed through the ranks and is now a regular for Barca B.

Deportivo would claim a 1-0 victory but it will have been a useful scouting mission for Villas-Boas who will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the progress of the young players as he looks to build a Tottenham squad capable of challenging for major honours.

A number of Premier League clubs have managed to lure players away from Barcelona with the most high profile being Arsenal capturing Cesc Fabregas and Manchester United landing Gergard Pique.

This trend has continued this season with Everton landing Gerard Deulofeu on a season-long loan, while Liverpool signed 16 year old midfielder Sergi Canos this summer from Barcelona on a permanent deal.