Shock Emerson transfer offer makes Tottenham a no-brainer for Lange and Postecoglou
When it comes to Tottenham Hotspur, the January transfer window is still very much open. Spurs agreed to a total of 10 January outgoings in addition to acting relatively early in the window to bring Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin to the team.
Given that a few players at the club need to play regular first-team football elsewhere, that number may very well increase over the next eleven days. Emerson Royal isn’t one of them, but that hasn’t stopped news of an unexpected transfer involving him from breaking.
As far as football.london is aware, Tottenham turned down an offer for the Brazilian international from Al-Nassr. However, it’s thought that the Saudi Arabian team is preparing another bid as they try to bolster a roster that already includes players like Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mane, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
If Al-Nassr makes another offer for the right-sided player, Johan Lange, Ange Postecoglou, and Tottenham should have an easy time making a decision. Even though Pedro Porro moved to N17 in January of last year, Emerson is still a key member of the Tottenham team and will continue to be so in the future.
The 25-year-old, who began the season with the team before Porro took over at right back, has made a total of 18 appearances for the Lilywhites in all competitions. Because Postecoglou’s team has had so many injuries to deal with, there is an equal distribution of starts and substitutions made.
Even though Emerson is not naturally suited for center back, a significant amount of his game action has gone there due to injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Playing as one of two center backs has been a completely different challenge for Emerson than it was for him to operate on the right side of a back three on a few occasions last season, but he has taken it on with both hands and produced some excellent performances in the process.
In the long run, it has even raised the prospect of the former Real Betis player moving from right back to center back. In addition, Emerson has occasionally substituted for Destiny Udogie at left defense and has performed admirably each time.
Spurs’ No. 12 has not once complained, continuing to give his all for the team at a time when other players may have raised a fuss over playing in a number of different roles in addition to a lack of game time. Even though Emerson isn’t the most gifted player in the Tottenham team, everyone at the club adores him and he is a dedicated worker who consistently goes above and beyond for his teammates.
Furthermore, Postecoglou’s adaptability is a huge asset, particularly considering Tottenham’s unlucky injury record this season, which has showed no signs of abating. Emerson is obviously passionate about the team, and his upbeat demeanor spreads to his teammates.
For the time being, Johan Lange, Postecoglou, and Tottenham should turn down Al-Nassr’s attempts to sign the player unless they were to make an offer so high that the team would be unable to refuse it and a suitable substitute could be found quickly. If that is the case, Spurs will have a very difficult time finding a right-back who can play center back and on the opposing side throughout the remaining transfer window. However, it is simply not going to occur.
Tottenham’s response might be different if Al-Nassr made a competitive offer for the former Barcelona player at the start of the summer. This would give them more time to bring in a player who might be more suited to Postecoglou’s style of play as they make plans for the future. Spurs’ response at this point should be a resounding “no,” as they aim to position themselves as best they can to finish in the top four come May.
