Tottenham Hotspur must look to avoid a repeat blunder as interest in one of Antonio Conte’s key stars increases ahead of the summer transfer window…
What’s the latest on Emerson Royal’s future at Spurs?
Lilywhites right wing-back Emerson Royal has looked like a reborn animal in recent weeks but such exploits have seen other teams attracted to the prospect of signing him.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb, AC Milan could land the Brazilian dynamo in a swap deal, with Spurs keen on signing central defender Fikayo Tomori, formerly of Premier League rivals Chelsea.
It’s thought that the arrival of Pedro Porro in the winter market will eventually force Emerson out in north London.
Spurs must avoid Kieran Trippier repeat
However, despite Emerson’s past inconsistencies – having been dubbed as “a complete liability” by talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara earlier in the season – it would surely be a major, yet familiar, mistake to let him go in 2023.
Against defending champions Manchester City, the 24-year-old produced a “defensive masterclass” – in the eyes of Express journalist Ryan Taylor – with that 7.1-rated display being followed up with a recent goal and 7.5 rating against West Ham United, via Sofascore.
It seems as if the extra competition has lit a fire in Emerson’s belly, something that transfer insider Dean Jones has even alluded to this month.
“The switch has flicked for him and he’s just starting to understand his role and got himself to the perfect moment; it’s not a bad thing at all for Tottenham to have this kind of competition,” he told GIVEMESPORT.
It would, therefore, seem foolish to give up on him after he’s improved considerably, especially as it would leave Spurs – and manager Antonio Conte – back at square one with problems in the right wing-back role.
This situation would be similar to chairman Daniel Levy’s past mistakes, having let Kieran Trippier join Atletico Madrid for around £20m, not too long after giving up Kyle Walker to the aforementioned Citizens.
Still to this day, it’s an issue that has lingered around Hotspur Way and now with Emerson battling Porro for the starting spot, it’s the first time in a long time that the Lilywhites have healthy and quality competition.
As such, Levy must ensure that the £26m man remains a Spurs player going forward. Even if central defenders are needed in the squad, there’s no point weakening another area in a bid to get one.
AND in other news, Levy had transfer disasterclass with Spurs “liability”, he’s lost 45% value in 5.5 yrs…