MY ACCOUNT
Emerson Royal has only been at Tottenham for a matter of months but already finds himself playing under a second manager this season.
The Brazilian right-back joined Spurs from Barcelona in the summer for £25.8million.
He has settled well into life in the Premier League and has become a regular starter for the North London side.
But what will the future hold under new boss Antonio Conte?
If early indications are anything to go by, the 22-year-old defender appears set to be one of the players Conte relies on as he bids to end the club’s long wait for silverware.
Making an impression
Despite their poor start to the season under former coach Nuno Espirito Santo, Emerson was one of a handful of stars to shine.
The Brazil international has played in eight of Tottenham’s 11 Premier League games this season and was a standout performer in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa in October.
Under Conte, he has frequently found himself in the opposition’s final third.
Playing as a wing-back, Emerson joins the attack when Spurs advance up the pitch but slots into a back five when defending.
Although he has yet to get on the scoresheet, the South American did provide four assists and bag two goals while on loan at Real Betis last season.
And it may be that his first goal for Tottenham is just around the corner now that Conte has given him licence to get forward.
Fan favourite
The former Barca man expressed his excitement on social media after switching to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Keeping it short and sweet, he said: “Here we go, time to be happy!”
And the Spurs faithful have been delighted with how Emerson has performed so far.
Since providing the cross for Lucas Moura to head the only goal in the Carabao Cup win at Burnley last month, there has been a demand for the speedster to start every game.
And he is currently keeping Japhet Tanganga, who had been hoping to secure the right-back spot following Serge Aurier’s departure, out of the side.
Most importantly, the Sao Paulo-born defender has navigated his way into the good books of both managers he has worked under this season.
Nuno previously expressed he was happy with how Emerson was playing but believed there was still room to improve.
Following the win over Villa, the Portuguese said: “He had a good game. He was stable, especially in the way he controlled the width.
“He was really good going forward. I think he had moments when he should have decided better when he was in the box.”
Improving under Conte
It is no secret that Conte loves to set up his sides with advanced wing-backs.
During his time at Chelsea, he utilised Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses on either flank and they both had a major impact as the Blues won the Premier League in 2016-17.
The Italian will be expecting the same from Emerson and Sergio Reguilon.
Encouragingly, Emerson has shown glimpses of what he is capable of in the new system after just two games with Conte in the dugout.
During the goalless draw at Everton last Sunday, he found himself in a glorious position to open the scoring but was unable to direct his header on target.
And his constant overlapping dragged the Everton wingers back to defend, allowing Spurs to stay on the front foot for much of the game.
Conte, 52, is clearly looking to utilise Emerson in a similar way to how he deployed Achraf Hakimi as an attack-minded wing-back at Inter Milan last season.
Delivering end product
The one area of Emerson’s game that lacks conviction is his end product.
Spurs have struggled to register shots on target this season — only Norwich have had less in the Premier League.
An obvious reason for this is a lack of quality in the final third.
With the wing-backs now playing a key role in Conte’s attack, deliveries into the box need to be perfect.
There is no doubt the tactician and his coaching staff will work on that aspect with their players.
And should Emerson become more consistent in providing high-quality crosses, Spurs are likely to find themselves scoring more frequently.
Managing director Fabio Paratici has uncovered a gem in Emerson — but there is plenty of work to be done for him to fulfil his potential.
