Tottenham are ready to sell right-back Emerson Royal this summer, and interestingly have the option to sign a highly-rated replacement for just £30 million.
Spurs looking for Pedro Porro alternative
With the likely departure of Emerson, who Spurs are apparently prepared to let go for around £20 million (Football Insider), manager Ange Postecoglou will be in need of another alternative for star full-back Pedro Porro.
Tottenham have now reached agreement to sign attacking starlet for Ange
They’ve beat “multiple” Premier League sides in the race for his signature.
ByEmilio GalantiniMay 16, 2024
The Spaniard, alongside Destiny Udogie at left-back, have been absolutely pivotal to Postecoglou's system with both playing a crucial role. Porro and Udogie are tasked with stepping into midfield and providing width further up the pitch as Tottenham's inverted full-backs, and the pair have proved incredible going forward.
Son Heung-min
7.27
James Maddison
7,15
Pedro Porro
7.01
Cristian Romero
7.01
Dejan Kulusevski
6.89
The duo have bagged a combined 10 assists in the Premier League alone this season, and currently sit in Spurs' top 10 for key passes made per 90 in the final third (WhoScored). Porro in particular has averaged more crosses into the box per game than any other Tottenham player in the league this season (WhoScored), with pundit Stephen Warnock summing up exactly why the 24-year-old and Udogie are so important.
"The way Tottenham play this season, everybody talks about the spine of the team, but it’s actually the fullbacks who are the most important players,” said Warnock on The Sky Sports Football Show (via HITC).
“And I am made up to say that. It makes me very happy. They change the way that they play. Udogie doesn’t play as a conventional fullback or as an overlapping fullback.
“Incredibly, I saw an article on this a few weeks ago where he has actually completed the most dribbles in midfield. That tells you everything about the type of player he is and where he is playing on the pitch, so often, you see him and Porro in centre-forward positions or number 10 positions."
However, as we've seen with Udogie's season-ending injury, absences can befall Postecoglou's key stars at any moment – and Porro is no exception. Tottenham have been linked with signing another right-back to stand in for Porro, especially with current understudy Emerson looking more and more like he'll be quitting this summer.
Tottenham have option to sign Walker-Peters for £30 million
One name to be mentioned recently is former Spurs starlet Kyle Walker-Peters, who they sold to Southampton. The Englishman, who has starred for Southampton over 2023//2024, is being linked with a return to north London. HITC have an update on this, and they claim Tottenham have a Walker-Peters buy-back clause of around £30 million.
They're apparently ready to make a move for the Saints defender at the end of this season, but will be looking to make a deal at around £20 million instead. They're also ready to let the "relentless" Emerson depart, with Walker-Peters potentially coming in as a replacement for the Brazilian.
The 27-year-old, who Russell Martin called a "beautiful footballer", could be a great option given the fact he's also homegrown.