Tottenham must be relieved after bringing to a close an exhausting transfer saga this summer.
Brazilian fullback Emerson Royal, after all, has completed his much-awaited move to AC Milan for €15 million plus €3 million in add-ons, signing a four-plus-one-year deal.
On his unveiling, however, the 25-year-old had a bold claim to make.
Emerson Royal makes bold claim during AC Milan unveiling
During his presentation at Casa Milan, Emerson Royal was bold enough to call himself a leader.
“I have a lot of enthusiasm and desire. I have a future ahead of me and Milan has always believed in me. I am very young, but in all the teams I have been a leader, it is my character. I speak a lot with my teammates. There are things that come out badly, but that is football.”
A translation of Royal’s quotes as presented by Calciomercato.
In truth, Royal found good performances few and far between during his time in North London, which saw him make 101 appearances, in which he scored four goals and provided another two assists.
Royal had arrived at Hotspur Way three seasons ago in a €25m move from Catalan giants Barcelona with a lot of hype around him, having impressed during his stint in LaLiga with Real Betis.
Great talk, now prove it
No one is restricted from talking a big game, but it’s usually appreciated when you can back it up with good performances.
The managerial upheaval at Spurs can be accredited partly as a reason for why Emerson’s move did not work out, but it’s not a one-sided case. Emerson did struggle in England, even though he did have some good performances.
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His talent is not on trial here; consistency in performance is. As he moves to Milan, Emerson has an opportunity to back up his big talk and finally try to at least be as consistent with his performances as he was during his Betis days.
