Emerson Royal has endured a difficult start to his Tottenham Hotspur career. The Brazil international’s latest struggles showed in the FA Cup 5th round fixture against Middlesbrough FC.
Royal was slow to provide defensive support, and his sliding tackle to block the shot by Josh Coburn was too late, which proved to be the game-winner.
Scottish manager Alex McLeish spoke with Football Insider about the struggles Royal is enduring as he’s seeing his minutes decrease and losing his spot as the starting right-back to
“People think because he came from Barcelona, he must be absolutely brilliant,” McLeish said. “But he never really cemented himself there. A lot of the players coming from Italy or Spain; unless they are household names, they really struggle.”
“The English game is very, very fast, and it’s the hardest league in the world. He’s struggling to cope with the pace, and he’s not dealing at all well with the quality. Even Barcelona can get things wrong now and again. Everyone who comes through their system isn’t going to make the grade in this country.”
This past summer, the 23-year-old joined Tottenham, paying Barcelona a £25.8 million fee to bring Royal to north London. Thus far, he has failed to impress, and during the January window, there were reports about getting Adama Traoré and converting him to a right wing-back.
If Royal continues to struggle for the remainder of this season, it could be one and down with the Premier League club. The Brazilian is under contract until 2026.