Tottenham get a new Zorro as Pedro Porro arrives in London

Son Heung-min, left, and Pedro Porro [REUTERS/YONHAP; SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
Son Heung-min may have discarded his protective carbon-fiber mask last month, but Tottenham Hotspur have already found a worthy successor to take on the Zorro epithet — the club introduced new loanee Pedro Porro on Tuesday with a video in which he dressed as the fictional vigilante.
 
In a video that showed Porro getting advice on how to announce his signing from a fictional chatbot called “Chat THFC,” the Spaniard is seen going though a number of different steps before finally arriving at the instruction: “If all fails, dress up as a famous movie character that’s a pun of your name.”
 
Porro then appears dressed as Zorro, the titular character from the “Zorro” films, before the letter “P” slashes across the screen in the style of the Zorro “Z” sword cuts.
 
Porro joined Spurs on loan from Sporting Lisbon with an option to buy for £42-million ($52 million) in the summer. The last-minute deal followed weeks of negotiations that ended with Porro flying to London in the early hours of Tuesday morning to undergo a medical.
 
The 23-year-old wing back fills the spot that Antonio Conte had highlighted as the most important area for Spurs to focus on during the transfer window, replacing Matt Doherty, who signed with Atlético Madrid after his contract was terminated.
 
The decision to cast Porro as Zorro due to the pun on his name coincidentally harks back to Son’s two months behind the black carbon-fiber mask, which the midfielder had to wear after sustaining an orbital fracture during a Champions League game against Marseille.
 
Son finally gave up the mask last month and has returned to playing full games without it in the last two weeks.
 
Porro and Son will likely get their first chance to play together on Sunday as Tottenham take on Manchester City at home. 
 

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]