Talk Sport journalist Alex Crook recently claimed Tottenham Hotspur cannot be considered a serious Premier League title contender while they have Emerson Royal starting as a right wing-back.
After Spurs’ good start to the season, sitting third in the Premier League with an unbeaten record after the first six games, their Champions League campaign hit a stumbling block after a recent loss.
While they signed a number of top-level players including Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, and Ivan Perisic, one key area of the pitch is still in need of development. This is the right wing-back spot, which is currently taken up by Emerson Royal.
The Brazilian has struggled to have a big impact on the side and the club were even urged by their former star man Jonathan Woodgate, to sign a new player at the positions to replace him.
It is not only Woodgate who doubts Royal as Crook recently claimed on the Talk Sport Game Day podcast that the north London club cannot be taken seriously as a title contender with him starting, week in, week out.
Crook said, “I still think any team with Emerson Royal as your first choice right back. You can’t take them seriously as title contenders with the greatest respect in the world to him of course.”
TIF Thoughts on Crook’s comments…
Spurs need to upgrade their right wing-back position if they are to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool for the title. While Emerson Royal is not a bad defender, averaging 2.8 tackles and 2.7 clearances per game, he is incapable of attacking at a high level.
According to Whoscored, he currently ranks 175th in the Premier League for key passes per game, 46th for dribbles per game, and 43rd for crosses per game.
They have bought in Djed Spence during the summer but are still very raw and have only managed one minute of Premier League football this season. They have the future sown up with Spence but need a quick fix for right now, which Emerson Royal cannot be.
Can Spurs win the PL with Royal?Yes
No
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