Is Emerson Royal the start of a huge day for Tottenham Hotspur?

News from Fabrizio Romano is claiming Tottenham is signing defender Emerson Royal from Barcelona, is this the start of a big deadline day or just another rumor? 

Despite the wonderful start, there is no fan who believes this team is ready to compete for a title as is, and we all hope the management feels the same way.  And despite the heart-warming goodbyes, we all certainly want to avoid another Moussa Sissoko deadline day situation or worse a true panic buy – Gedson Fernandes, anyone? However, with the news coming from Romano that Tottenham has come to an accord for the transfer of Emerson Royal, this could be the start of a big, big day for the Spurs.

Emerson Royal would be a big get for Tottenham

Emerson Royal was supposed to be the future at right-back for Barcelona but then again, Leo Messi was also supposed to be starring at Camp Nou. Instead, Barcelona has been trying to sell players to raise funds to maintain their operations and saw Messi leave for free. This has led to some players be unexpectedly available and one of which is Emerson Royal.

With good size, 1.83 m (6 ft), and real aggression on the pitch, Emerson is a ball-playing right-back who is excellent at the defensive side of the game. Having a player like Emerson, who is strong at pressuring, tackling, and intercepting the ball platooning with Japhet Tanganga would leave Tottenham set for the next five-plus years at right back.

Emerson is not just a good defender, he is a strong passer who looks to get forward and can be counted on to get a couple of passes a game into the penalty area. At 22 Emerson would be a terrific signing if Romano’s reporting is accurate.

Emerson cannot be Tottenham’s only deadline day move

The reality is if Tottenham truly has reached an agreement with Barcelona for Emerson there must be another corresponding move to go with it. With the clear emergence of Tanganga, Tottenham already has three senior right-backs on the team with Matt Doherty and Serge Aurier both still on the club.

Reportedly, Aurier has wanted out for some time and just keeps soldiering on, although we have not seen much of him. Doherty has already left a Nuno Espirito Santo team once, so it is conceivable he could again. Logic tells us that if Emerson is coming one of Doherty or Aurier – if not both – would have to go in a corresponding but not connected move.

Tottenham still have unfinished business

Besides the future of the right-back position, which does not seem nearly as dire with Tanganga’s solid play, the Spurs still need to address several areas of the pitch. The team has yet to sign or even really be connected with another left-sided center-half.

Eric Dier has played well this season but he is already playing a lot. Ben Davies could also play but that puts more pressure on Sergio Reguilon as Ryan Sessegnon continues to be deployed further up the pitch. The point is this is certainly a position of need and much like Davinson Sanchez, as good as Cristian Romero is, he is not really a left-sided player.

The Spurs still need a creative spark

We knew that Bryan Gil would add some creativity to the team and seeing him deployed in more of a #10 role-playing underneath the attacking line you could see some of this creativity in action against Paços. Presumably, Giovani Lo Celso would also bring some similar attributes and creativity in a similar role for the team, however, Lo Celso may be unavailable for some time after going on international duty with Argentina.

Even if Gil and Lo Celso are both fully available, the team needs another creative presence in the midfield. As much as Adama Traore would add to the team, it is hard to get behind a defense standing their ground at the 18. However, a more creative player who can pick out that pass would help.

Finally, finding a bit of cover for Harry Kane continues to be a need for Tottenham. Heung-Min Son can clearly fill in well but he has another full-time role in the team. We all would love to see Dane Scarlett burst onto the scene but that is a lot to put on a 17-year old. Realistically Tottenham could sure use someone with a bit more experience to fill that role.

Of course, to really make any of the moves above, with maybe the exception of a backup striker, the club likely needs to sell a player to make space.

Ultimately, like always we will have to wait and see what will happen but hopefully, the day starts with Emerson and ends with some players leaving and some other players arriving. Or maybe it is just another day of rumors and then the Harry Kane talk from Sky starts again on September 1. I guess we will see.