Tottenham Hotspur's squad has been riddled with injury and suspension issues throughout the 2023/24 campaign and one of their key depth options has now been linked with a move away from the club.
Saudi Pro League interest in Spurs defender
Ange Postecoglou has needed to call upon Emerson Royal in several positions so far this season to cover for various players, but he is now attracting interest from Saudi Arabia. According to Premier League Brasil, Al-Nassr have made the Brazilian full-back a target this month and sent over a proposal of €25m (£21.5m) to sign him from the North London club – and Daniel Levy has made his mind up.
It states that Tottenham have turned it down as Levy has decided that it was not enough to tempt him into cashing in on the 25-year-old battler. The report adds that the Saudi Pro League side will soon raise their offer for the defender but they do not state exactly how much the second bid will be worth.
However, the article suggests that Al-Nassr should 'up the ante' and fire in an offer of €35m (£30m), which would make Emerson the joint-fifth most expensive sale in the club's history if a deal went through at that price.
Gareth Bale
£87m
Real Madrid
Harry Kane
£82m
Bayern Munich
Kyle Walker
£45m
Manchester City
Dimitar Berbatov
£33m
Manchester United
Luka Modric
£30m
Real Madrid
It remains to be seen how much it would take for Spurs to cash in on the versatile defender as Premier League Brasil also reveal that the club are not interested in negotiating at this time – they do not want to lose him midway through a season with so many gaps emerging in the squad. They add that Al-Nassr will have to offer a 'high sum' in order to convince Levy and Postecoglou to part ways with the former Barcelona full-back.
Emerson's versatility is a life saver for Ange
The Brazil international's versatility has been extremely useful for the Australian head coach in the Premier League so far this season, as he has been needed to cover for the likes of Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro, and Destiny Udogie at times. Emerson has featured six times as a centre-back, five times as a left-back, and played three matches in his natural role on the right of the back four.
The £40k-per-week ace, who was hailed by Postecoglou as being one of the "best trainers" and having an "unbelievable" work ethic, has been a solid defensive option for Spurs.
Tackles (2.75)
Top 18%
Interceptions (1.61)
Top 13%
Blocks (1.49)
Top 15%
Clearances (4.70)
Top 1%
Aerial duels won (1.38)
Top 18%
As you can see in the table above, Emerson ranks highly amongst his positional peers in a number of key defensive metrics, albeit his appearances at centre-back have helped to boost his output when it comes to clearances and aerial duels contested.
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His quality and versatility as a depth option for Postecoglou should indeed force Levy to reject any and all bids until the end of the January transfer window, potentially cashing in this summer when finding a replacement will be easier.