Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold believes the north London club could probably get their money back for Emerson Royal in the summer transfer window.
The reliable Spurs correspondent was taking part in a Reddit Q&A session, in which he was responding to a question on the future of the Brazilian right-back.
Does Emerson deserve another season at Spurs?
Yes
No
Emerson was brought to England from Barcelona last summer under Nuno Espirito Santo and it has quickly become evident that Antonio Conte is not his biggest fan.
Over the last month, Matt Doherty has found himself as the Italian’s first-choice at right wing-back, with a goal and three assists to show in his last two league games.
That is a greater return than Emerson has over the full campaign, with zero goals and just the single assist to boast about after his £25.8m switch from the La Liga giants.
But Gold believes the Lilywhites could probably recoup the transfer fee for the 23-year-old in the summer if Conte decides he does not want Emerson at the club anymore.
Gold wrote on Reddit: “I think Emerson was bought for Nuno as a very different kind of full-back. Now it’s whether Conte believes he can be converted into a wing-back. If he doesn’t, then Spurs can probably get their money back on him.”
TIF Thoughts on Emerson’s future…
It has been a really difficult campaign for the Brazilian in England, and his lack of quality from crossing positions is clearly a big concern for Conte.
And with Spurs believed to be looking at the likes of Djed Spence and Tariq Lamptey ahead of the summer, it is hard to see where his future lies in north London.
But whether they could recoup all of the funds is another question. Gold himself has been critical of the right-back at times, and given his poor season, it would certainly be a masterclass from Spurs if they could shift him in the summer without losing too much money.
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