Tottenham Hotspur had a 25 million euro release clause especially for them to sign young Real Betis and USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso this summer - and this summer only. But that clause has now been mooted, as Cardoso has made it abundantly clear that he dreams of a move within LaLiga to capital club Atletico Madrid with no intention of moving to Tottenham (or ostensibly the Premier League at all, for that matter).
The release clause for Tottenham was inserted as part of the transfer that sent talented playmaker Giovani Lo Celso back to Real Betis, where he dominated in the first half of the 2024/25 season before having his campaign derailed by injury. In total, Cardoso's snub means that Tottenham sold Lo Celso for a meager five million euros, and Cardoso has now become a frustrating symbol of Daniel Levy's ill-advised maneuvering on the transfer market.
But ultimately, it doesn't seem like most Tottenham supporters feel all that bad about losing out on Cardoso. His final price to Atleti won't be much more than 25 million euros, and Spurs fans have more things to worry about after the way Ange Postecoglou was fired by the club. Moreover, many fans feel that Cardoso isn't up to snuff anyway, and they may feel vindicated by a play on Saturday.
Johnny Cardoso isn't better than Tottenham
In a friendly against Turkey, Cardoso made a ghastly error early in the game to erase the United States national team's first minute goal. Cardoso inexplicably drifted with the ball in his own box lacksadaisically before essentially smashing the ball right into Turkish star Arda Guler's knee out of sheer panic. The ball ricocheted off Guler and into the back of the net. Cardoso's USMNT would go on to lose that game 2-1 after Turkey scored the go-ahead goal quickly after his error, too.
Obviously, this is just one play and can't be used to make sweeping commentary about Cardoso's quality as a player, but it was a horrible error and the kind of error Tottenham are sick of making after watching similar ones happen all season long, including at the very end in Liverpool's title-sealing romp against them.
What the goal is a reminder of, though, is that the notion Cardoso is too good for Spurs is beyond laughable. He's a decent player, but he's not even a proven top midfielder for Betis in LaLiga. Cardoso works hard and is a good athlete, however, he, like so many players produced in the United States, is very lacking in tactics and technique, which can be painfully observed in this intolerable error.
Tottenham will have much better players to go after on the transfer market, including midfielders who are more refined and more ready for the rigors of the Premier League. Cardoso could get exposed in Spain at a bigger club like Atleti, and while he should go on to have a decent career, Spurs should also be aiming higher anyway.