Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur decided to improve their right-back position and added Emerson Royal in a surprise move from FC Barcelona. With Serge Aurier departing, the position was for the Brazilian for his to overtake.
Nonetheless, Royal hasn’t convinced many in his first year with the north London club. Last week, the 23-year-old didn’t have a good showing against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanders, leading to pundit Michael Dawson criticizing the defender.
Dawson stated that he does not think Royal is good enough to play as a right wing-back for manager Antonio Conte.
“Is he a right-back like we saw him play under Nuno? Is he a wing-back? No, I don’t think he gets high enough for them,” Dawson said.
Tottenham finds themselves in a challenging situation as they fight for a top-four spot in the Premier League. The north London club is in eighth place with a handful of clubs ahead of them for that final UEFA Champions League spot.
Spurs will need to see some clubs falter from now to the end of the season to have a shot at finishing in the top four.