Tottenham Hotspur right wing-back Emerson Royal speaks about his early struggles in England
In conversation with Globo Esporte (h/t Football London), Emerson Royal has opened up about his early struggles to adapt to the English conditions.
The Premier League can be a really unforgiving atmosphere for any player. You could be revered as a hero one day and be dubbed as the villain in your next match. A number of players who come to England’s top flight from other countries can find it especially hard to adapt to their new surroundings.
Emerson Royal has also admitted to having these struggles after his recent £22.5m transfer move from Barcelona to Tottenham Hostpur.
The 22-year-old right-back commented on the obstacles he has faced, especially with regards to the weather and the language:
“The strangest thing, in the beginning, is the weather. It’s not that cold now, but you can see that it’s much colder here than in other countries I’ve been in. And also the language, the language is a little complicated, I don’t speak English yet. But when you arrive, different language, complicated to get used to.”
The wing-back has also had to endure a tough start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium as the club have lost 3 of their last 4 Premier League matches which also included defeats to bitter rivals such as Chelsea and Arsenal. It can also be difficult for any youngster who joins a top English club and is directly thrown into the thick of things as any and every move is carefully monitored and scrutinised by the media.
Emerson who had joined Barcelona from Real Betis this summer was forced to part ways with the Catalan giants on the deadline day of the latest transfer window. The Brazilian player even admitted that he was hurt after being treated in such a manner by Barca. This coupled with the sudden introduction to the PL could be potentially daunting for any young footballer trying to make his name in the world of football.
The Former Betis defender also stated some of the measures he is taking to get to terms with his life at Spurs:
“Today I can understand a lot, I can communicate, not 100%, far from it, but now I can communicate more with people, I understand more things. Now I’m going to study more too, it’ll be easier. So I think that language is now a problem, a difficulty, but in a short period of time I’ll work it out fine.”
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Nuno Espirito Santo and co would be looking forward to the young exciting prospect and his performances over a period of time but it is equally important that the management and the fans give the 22-year-old footballer some time to settle into his new surroundings.
