Tottenham take risk with Serge Aurier signing

Thursday brought confirmation of a controversial development: Tottenham have signed Paris Saint Germain right-back Serge Aurier.

The Ivory Coast international cost Tottenham a relative pittance at £23 million, with the 24-year-old signing a contract through 2022.

Why PSG would part with a young, talented player like Aurier for so far below current market prices for a right-back — and why clubs like Manchester City didn’t take the plunge before Tottenham — comes down to Aurier’s spotted past.

There has been no shortage of hot takes about Aurier since he was first linked with Spurs earlier in August. In sum, all those takes come down to this: more often than not Aurier’s attitude and behavior overshadow his abilities on the pitch.

And it’s not a simple matter of antics. This isn’t Mario Balotelli wearing goofy t-shirts under his kit or lighting his bathroom on fire.

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Aurier’s offenses were either violent, such as the criminal conviction for an altercation with a Paris police officer that almost nixed his move to Tottenhem, or otherwise malicious, such as his use of a homophobic pejorative to describe his coach and teammate.

Perhaps there are fans who are capable of taking a scalpel to what a player does off the pitch and what he does on it. That’s fair — plenty of athletes can be prolifically successful while also being terrible human beings.

What happens when Aurier’s ego gets bruised and he, say, refuses to warm up promptly off the bench when one of his teammates get injured? That exact scenario happened in March of this year at PSG. How easy will it be to shrug that off?

In fairness, both the club and the player were quick to assure doubters that Aurier is anxious to move on from his past.

The club’s official LGBT partners also coordinated a response with Tottenham, and in a statement they seem prepared to welcome Aurier with an open mind — for both the club and all of football’s sake.

However reprehensible Aurier’s actions were, this is a great opportunity to take on an prejudice that still lingers in the sport and in society as a whole. Hopefully the club doesn’t miss this chance.

So what can Tottenham fans expect if Aurier can keep his cool?

A genuinely explosive force at right-back who will make up for — and perhaps exceed — Kyle Walker’s contributions. He is one of the last remaining true full-flank right-backs available on the market, capable of both traditional defending and thrusting forward into attack at every opportunity.

Aurier will come into the side as a substantial upgrade to Kieran Trippier and possibly as a good footballing mentor for Kyle Walker-Peters. On top of all that, he will be very fun to watch. Walker had his moments, but Aurier brings with him an electricity that will make him stand out more often than any right-back in the Premier League.

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If Mauricio Pochettino’s nigh irresistible cult of personality can tame Aurier enough, this move will look especially savvy in very little time. The Ivorian is the definition of high upside, low downside — but to dare is to do.