The decision to keep Emerson Royal and terminate Matt Doherty’s contract was made late in the transfer window.
Emerson Royal who has had a horrid season so far was rumoured to be on his way out in January.
He started every Spurs game despite his poor performances. It was only after a reported fall out with a coaching staff when he was dropped for Doherty.
But according to The Athletic, the decision to keep the Brazilian as the back up option to new signing Pedro Porro was made after a mutual consensus between the manager Antonio Conte and director Fabio Paratici.
Their other right wing-back option Djed Spence who struggled to get a sniff of playing time at Spurs since joining in the summer was loaned out to Ligue 1 club Rennes.
Matt Doherty’s contract was subsequently terminated since according to FIFA rules, a club can only loan out 8 players at a time.
The contract termination came as a shock to the Irishman and his teammates including Harry Kane and Eric Dier who were reportedly upset by the club’s decision.
Emerson Royal started at right wing-back ahead of new signing Pedro Porro against Manchester City and surprisingly put in a flawless performance helping Spurs keep a clean sheet as they defeated Pep Guardiola’s team 1-0.
His performance earned himself a place in BBC Team of the Week by pundit Garth Crooks. He said:
“Not my favourite player, but I must say the way in which Royal dealt with Jack Grealish, Manchester City’s best player against Spurs, was very impressive.”
In doing so they helped Arsenal’s title challenge who now have a 5 point lead on the top of the table with a game in hand.
The win also provided a much needed boost to Conte’s quest to finish top 4.
