Tottenham have announced the sale of defender, Emerson Royal, to Italian giants AC Milan in a switch valued at around €15 million (£12.8m).
Emerson publicly stated his desire to move to Milan
The 25-year-old defender managed just over 100 appearances in Lilywhite (TransferMarkt). Tottenham signed the Brazilian on a deal that ran until 2026, paying £25.73 million to Barcelona, according to Sky Sports.
Fabrizio Romano revealed all the way back in May that AC Milan had Emerson high on their list of right-backs.
The rumoured interest sparked a public declaration from the right-back who stated: “I’ve always been professional, but I also told the coach [Ange Posetcoglou] at Spurs that I want to play. Otherwise, I have to look at other options”. (Globo)
The fee that Tottenham are expected to receive for Emerson has been described as in excess of €15 million, according to Fabrizio Romano who also claimed that the Brazilian defender had four or five proposals but insisted upon a move to AC Milan.
Tottenham have officially announced Emerson’s departure
Spurs have now officially confirmed the departure of Emerson Royal, ending his three-year stint in North London with the defender joining Paulo Fonseca’s AC Milan.
Emerson becomes Tottenham’s tenth senior departure of the summer, after Joe Rodon, Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele, Bryan Gil (loan), and Alejo Veliz (loan).
Spurs Web opinion
It had been clear for some time this summer that Emerson Royal’s time at Tottenham was over, despite the right-back being given plenty of minutes this pre-season, mainly due to Postecoglou lacking centre-backs with Romero, van De Ven and Dragusin all being away at international tournaments this summer.
Emerson’s time at Tottenham has been turbulent, from painfully failing no-look passes to waving a flare aloft after winning the North London derby, Spurs fans have certainly learned to enjoy the Brazilian for what he is.
However, in the past season, it has been apparent that Emerson isn’t quite at the level for Postecoglou’s side with his slow decision-making and poor passing making him a last resort option for the Australian last season.
The reported €15 million fee is good business though and Tottenham can now try to continue their rebuild under Postecoglou.