Opinion: Ange Postecoglou need not buy Emerson Royal replacement at Tottenham
It has been a busy summer for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou. As things stand, it is likely to continue being the case before the transfer window slams shut in a few weeks.
The Lilywhites have mostly targeted academy starlets this summer but are expected to sign senior players for the first team in the coming days as well.
As far as departures are considered, among the many players expected to leave North London this summer is Brazilian fullback Emerson Royal, whose £40k-a-week contract at Spurs runs until June 2026.
The former Barcelona man has failed to attract for prolonged periods during his time in England and is now expected to be moved on, having been heavily linked with a move to Serie A giants AC Milan in recent weeks.
With Royal almost out the door, one expects Spurs to bring in a like-for-like positional replacement for him. However, they don’t need to do that.
They have solutions at home.
Gray and Porro can get it done
We saw in his first season at the club that Postecoglou desires a lot of physical effort from his players, but those demands reach a different level when it comes to his fullbacks.
Asking constant movement on offer both out wide and in inversion, Postecoglou’s fullbacks need to be industrious, technically adept and have sufficient concentration to maintain those two for a full 90.
The fullback options Spurs will be left with if and when Royal leaves are Pedro Porro and Archie Gray. Now, these two players are by no means perfect; Gray is just 18 after all and Porro is also just 24, but the one thing the two have in common is the ability
to perform not just out wide but also in the more central areas of the pitch, which has increasingly become a common demand made of the fullbacks these days.
Last season, Gray was deployed by Daniel Farke at Leeds United out on the right as well as in the middle. Porro, known for his prowess going forward and a former Man City player has also played centrally in his La Liga days.
Between these two players, the talent they already have on offer, and the potential they bring furthermore, Postecoglou should have more than enough on his hands to not miss Emerson Royal at all this season.
Conclusion
Spurs needed big, sweeping changes to do away with the dross of the José Mourinho and Antonio Conte years. They are on their way to doing so, but they need time. Not all things can be rushed.
The team do need changes all over the pitch, but of all the positions they need reinforcements most urgently in, right-fullback is not the spot that occupies the higher ranks.
Duly, Spurs have been more concerned with their options further up the pitch, having been linked with moves for both central and wide forwards and roped in Timo Werner on loan once again.
Postecoglou and Co are evidently aware that they can make do with the players they have at the back. Of course, with injuries an increasing concern in modern football, one can never be too prepared, but over-preparing for such scenarios by buying players needlessly is not the answer either; that would only make things worse.
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Emerson Royal is leaving and should leave, but the Spurs have all the answers they need to make up for his absence going forward.
