If Tottenham Hotspur’s post-match player ratings are part of your weekend reading material, you’d have noticed a pattern by now.
Emerson Royal; ‘solid enough defensively, but wasteful in the final third’. You could almost copy-and-paste the comments; a never-ending, never-changing assessment of a footballer who, while admittedly improving under the steely gaze of Antonio Conte, will forever lack the technique and the precision required to really thrive as a wing-back in Tottenham’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
Emerson, in truth, remains Conte’s first-choice right-wing-back almost by default. Matt Doherty had had his injury issues of late. And the former Inter Milan boss clearly doesn’t share the admiration for £20 million summer signing Djed Spence.
Former Barcelona defender Emerson might have avoided the chop last summer – when Sergio Reguilon, Giovanni Lo Celso, Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele were shoved unceremoniously out the door – but there appears to be a shelf life on Emerson’s time as a regular in Tottenham’s starting XI. The 23-year-old feels like a placeholder at best; dutifully filling a gap before someone better arrives.
Is Emerson Royal on borrowed time at Tottenham Hotspur?
Vanderson, Emerson’s fellow Brazilian, would certainly represent an upgrade. In fact, the former Gremio flyer has been so impressive on the other side of the Channel that his market value, since joining Monaco in January, has risen from £11 million to £52 million in the space of one year (Sport).
Barcelona and Manchester United have already expressed an interest. Newcastle United, meanwhile, are drawing up plans to sign Vanderson in the New Year.
Now, this particular ship may already have sailed as far as Tottenham are concerned, however. Per UOL, Spurs reached out to Gremio last year to enquire about the availability of a player who was valued, at the time, at around half the fee the London giants paid to sign Spence from second-tier Middlesbrough. Now, with a 60 million euro transfer fee on his head, the 21-year-old is likely to be too rich for Daniel Levy’s blood these days.
Which is a shame really. Vanderson, after all, fits Conte’s wing-back system far better than the tenacious-but-limited Emerson. His buccaneering, all-action style has seen Monaco utilise Vanderson further forward in the attack on occasions too; a tally of two goals and one assist hardly an accurate representation of his impact in the Principality.
Emerson appears to be on borrowed time at Spurs. But the opportunity to replace him with Vanderson may have already passed Tottenham by.
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