If there was such a thing as a ‘dream Antonio Conte goal’, it was this.
One wing-back flying into the box before setting up the other to finish. In Sunday’s 5-1 thrashing of a sorry Newcastle United – the fifth time in eight Premier League games in which a suddenly-emphatic Tottenham Hotspur side have scored three or more goals – two of the most maligned members of this Spurs squad combined to produce a goal nobody would have seen coming when the London giants were dumped out of the FA Cup by second-tier Middlesbrough a couple of weeks ago.
Doherty and Emerson struggled badly that night on the Riverside.
Since then, Doherty has been a man reborn, playing the best football of his Spurs career. The Dublin Victor Moses, perhaps?
It remains to be seen whether Emerson’s own revival – he was more solid than spectacular against Newcastle despite his well-taken second-half finish – is a false dawn or something more sustainable.
Will Tottenham sell Emerson Royal?
A tap-in against a collapsing Newcastle side will not be enough to silence Emerson’s doubters.
During the first-half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher summed up what a lot of Tottenham fans are thinking about a man who’s technique and decision-making in the final third certainly leaves a lot to be desired.
“Oh, he’s not good enough,” said Carragher bullishly. “I do think down the road and going forward for Conte, it’s a position he’s going to be looking at.”
Recent reports certainly back up Carragher’s hypothesis.
Tottenham made two bids for Middlesbrough’s Nottingham Forest loanee Djed Spence in January. They have also shown an interest in Isaiah Jones and highly-rated Peru international Jhilmar Lora.
Spence and Jones would certainly offer a greater threat in the final third than the rather awkward, often bumbling Brazilian.
Diego Simeone is a long-time admirer, having tried to sign Emerson before his £25 million move to England.
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Marca believe Atletico are eyeing Aston Villa’s Matty Cash too as they look to fill a Kieran Trippier-shaped void on the right-hand side. The Poland international brought an end to speculation by signing a new contract with Villa on Monday, however.
Does this sudden development push Emerson one step closer to an early exit from Tottenham Hotspur? The answer to that question will depend on how he responds to his first goal under Conte from now until the end of May.
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