Tottenham coach answers if Emerson Royal’s good form is due to Pedro Porro signing

To The Lane And Back

·20 February 2023

Tottenham coach answers if Emerson Royal’s good form is due to Pedro Porro signing

Tottenham Hotspur coach answers if Emerson Royal’s good form is due to Pedro Porro signing

Pedro Porro’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur from Sporting CP this January would have sounded the alarm bells for Emerson Royal.

The Brazilian right-back had been manager Antonio Conte’s No. 1 choice down the right-hand side of the pitch. He was impressive for the most part of the first few months in the league.

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However, a red card against Arsenal in our 3-1 north London derby loss on 1 October last year seemed to have sent his form into a spiral. Immediately after the end of the World Cup, Conte started to trust Matt Doherty more.

The Republic of Ireland international is now with Atletico Madrid but Porro is a serious competition for Emerson. The 23-year-old Spanish full-back is a potent presence in attack down the right-hand side.

Healthy competition

He provided 11 assists and scored thrice in 26 games across competitions for Sporting CP earlier this campaign. Moreover, the fact that we invested in him despite having Doherty, Emerson, and Djed Spence on our books at the start of the January transfer window shows that he is highly rated by the club.

Emerson, whose place has been in jeopardy since Porro’s arrival, has seemingly risen to the challenge. The former Barcelona full-back has been impressive enough to keep the Spanish right-back as an unused substitute thrice already.

Emerson’s latest contribution came in the form of a goal in our 2-0 league win against West Ham United at home on Sunday. Speaking after the game against the Hammers, assistant manager Cristian Stellini was asked if Porro’s arrival has played a role in Emerson’s good form.

The Italian coach replied (h/t Football.London):

Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro vies with Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes. (Photo by GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)

“I don’t think it is linked with the signing of Pedro Porro but this type of performance from Emerson we had in the start of the season. The start of the season was one of the best performances.

“He played very well. After the three-match ban, after Arsenal, maybe he has lost his place but there was the World Cup that interrupted the season and this is a weird season for many teams and many players.”

Stellini is right. It was hard to find a fault in Emerson’s game in the starting few weeks of the season. He does look like a player who has a mistake in him.

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Moreover, he can polish his game on both ends of the pitch to a big extent. But nonetheless, as long as the 24-year-old continues to impress, it will be unfair and harsh to drop him to the bench for the former Manchester City right-back.