Brazilian right-back, Emerson Royal, has been linked with a move away from Spurs for what feels like an eternity. An update from Fabrizio Romano suggests that the defender is finally close to a €15 million switch to AC Milan.
Former Barcelona player, Emerson, joined Tottenham back in 2022 in a move worth £25.4 million with the hope that the Brazilian would fill the void left by the departure of Serge Aurier (Sky Sports).
Although Nuno Espirito Santo, who signed Emerson, didn’t stay around for long in North London, the right-back did remain a regular fixture in a team that impressively qualified for the Champions League.
Emerson’s fortunes have changed in the past year, however. New manager, Ange Postecoglou, decided to put his full faith in Spaniard, Pedro Porro, as his first-choice right-back.
Porro hit the ground running, leaving Emerson with only eleven Premier League starts last season, many of which, were out of position at centre-back. (TransferMarkt)
A lack of game time subsequently led to Emerson Royal being omitted from recent Brazil squads, a consequence that has clearly left the 25-year-old unhappy with the defender explaining to Globo: “I want to play on a regular basis. I don’t want to sit on the bench.
“I’ve always been professional, but I also told the coach [Ange Posetcoglou] at Spurs that I want to play. Otherwise, I have to look at other options.”
Almost four months on from Fabrizio Romano’s initial report that claimed Emerson was a target for Italian giants, AC Milan, this summer; the Italian journalist has revealed a deal is now in its final stages. (Fabrizio Romano)
Romano stated that Milan’s current proposal is worth €15 million plus add-ons with the fee now closer to Tottenham’s valuation of the player. As such, the deal is entering the final stages with confirmation expected to be sealed in the coming days.
As for a replacement, it seems as though Spurs will not settle for the versatile Archie Gray as cover in the role, or place full faith in Djed Spence just yet with Fabrizio Romano announcing in the same tweet that Tottenham have now started to explore new right-back options.
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Emerson Royal’s switch to AC Milan feels as though it may be the worst kept secret in football, with a move feeling as though it has taken an eternity to be completed.
However, a transfer for the defender was clearly the necessary option for all parties, with Emerson unhappy and Postecoglou clearly feeling as though the 25-year-old wasn’t suitable for his style of play.
It is disappointing however that the suggestion Tottenham are looking for another right-back means Djed Spence may not be rewarded for his extremely impressive pre-season form, unless a right-back is brought as a third-choice option, although it would be an extremely difficult role to sell to a player.
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