Arsenal reportedly got into pretty advanced talks over Emerson Royal this summer, but a proposed swap deal with Barcelona fell through.
Emerson ended up joining Spurs instead, making an unconvincing debut for the club against Crystal Palace this weekend in a 3-0 defeat, but things could’ve been quite different.
According to The Athletic, Tottenham could’ve ended up with Arsenal new-boy Takehiro Tomiyasu instead, while Emerson might’ve been lining up for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The report explains that Arteta was not convinced about Emerson being the right fit for his team, which meant that advanced discussions over a swap deal involving Hector Bellerin ended up breaking down.
Arsenal instead moved for Tomiyasu, who made his debut for the Gunners in an important six-pointer at the bottom of the table this weekend, while Spurs swooped for Emerson.
Now we wait and see how both these players fare over the course of the season ahead, with both clubs sure to be keen to see the player they ended up signing being the bigger success.