By releasing an explosive teen smash, the Lilywhites could brutally dismiss the Brazilian.
Tottenham Hotspur‘s new manager, Ange Postecoglou, has had a fantastic start to life in the dugout, with his side scooping up four consecutive Premier League victories to put them firmly in the battle at the top.
The ex-Celtic manager appears to have benefited from the bold and risky moves he has made in recent months, most notably reducing the roles of Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, while also replacing long-serving asset Hugo Lloris in goal.
That three are not the only ones to have suffered as a result of the 58-year-old’s arrival, with Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal also falling down the pecking order on the right side.
Emerson Royal cost Tottenham how much?
The former Barcelona man, who joined the club in the summer of 2021, has started only one league game this season after losing his place at right-back to Pedro Porro, with the 25-year-old failing to capitalise on his mini-resurgence last season.
The £25.8m signing overcame his early struggles in English football to emerge as a notable figure in the second half of last season’s difficult campaign, with club insider John Wenham stating that the purchase of Porro had first “spurred on” the defender.
While Wenham described him as “unbelievable” after his performance against Manchester City earlier this year, it may be difficult to overlook the £40k-per-week man’s previous poor performances, with talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara labelling him a “disaster” back in November.
Journalist Josh Bunting was even harsher on the former Real Betis man the previous month, claiming that Emerson is “possibly the worst player to play for Tottenham in my lifetime” due to his “dreadful” performances.
Despite his apparent development since then, there were rumours throughout the summer that Spurs were eager to sell the player, which is why he may be replaced in Postecoglou’s squad soon.
If the Greek-Aussie is looking for a potential replacement for Pedro Porro at right-back, he should consider academy sensation Tyrell Ashcroft...
Tyrell Ashcroft is a person.
After joining the north Londoners from Reading last year, the 18-year-old was hailed as “promising” by journalist Andy Preston. Prior to that departure, he had four senior games for the Royals, earning high praise from then-boss Veljko Paunovic:
“He’s a fantastic lad, young, confident, and talented.” He has an engine and is a bright young man, so he has it all. I believe he has a bright future with our team. He is a valuable asset, therefore we must continue to nurture his skill and provide him with the finest possible support so that he can continue to thrive.”
While he has yet to play for the main team in his new surroundings, the expectation is that the young right-back can also have a ‘great future’ at N17, having started all four Premier League 2 games for the club’s U21 side this season.
That steady run of games will be a huge boost for the bright teenager after an unfortunate setback last season, with the full-back missing the majority of the season after sustaining an ACL injury in September 2022.
Fortunately for both his benefit and Spurs’, Ashcroft is again fit and firing in the young set-up, with the aforementioned Emerson presumably keeping an eye on him to see if he can duplicate the strong early impression he made during his time at Reading.
With Postecoglou already believing in the likes of Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr this season, it would not be surprising if another youngster, such as Ashcroft, is pushed into the first-team mix sooner rather than later.
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