AC Milan senior adviser Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Tottenham have let go of a perfect player in Emerson Royal.
Emerson Royal was an important first-team player at Tottenham in the initial years after joining them from Barcelona but the arrival of Ange Postecoglou last summer changed things up. The Brazilian went down the pecking order and he only made a handful of appearances last season because of an injury crisis at the back.
While he still had two years left on his deal, Spurs were keen on sanctioning his departure and AC Milan were looking to prise him away from the North London club. The Italian giants have successfully signed the 25-year-old and their senior adviser and former star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has talked about the Brazilian full-back to Tuttomercatoweb. The Swedish superstar believes Tottenham have let go of a perfect player in Emerson as he is equally effective in both offense as well as defence.
While talking about their new signing, Ibrahimovic said to TMW: “With Emerson, we have an extra reinforcement for the team. Emerson was very keen to come. I want to welcome Emerson Royal. We have been following him for a long time but we brought him at the right time.
“Physical, offensive and defensive player; he plays with a lot of intensity and a lot of grit. With Emerson, we become even stronger. He was one of the objectives we set ourselves from the beginning of the transfer market and finally today he is here. We are happy.”
“What we want to build is a compact team. Offensively, we are compact and strong. (Now we also have the) defensive part with Emerson, Pavlovic. Then, we’ll see. Maybe there is room for something extra. We are working on it.
“The choice of Emerson was simple. He was the right profile. A balance between attack and defence. If you look at Fonseca and the identity (he wants), a profile like Emerson is perfect.
“If I have to choose, in my world, I like (my full-backs to be) more offensive. But the important thing is that he can do both phases.”
Paulo Fonseca has been keen on strengthening the right side of his defence since the start of the transfer window. He wants someone who can contribute towards both ends of the pitch and Emerson Royal has been their top target since the start.
Milan were involved in long-drawn negotiations with Tottenham. At times, it looked like the deal had collapsed but the Italian giants have someone managed to strike a deal worth £13 million and Emerson has successfully completed the switch. The Brazilian’s desire to play for the Italian outfit has played a big part in the transfer. While he was surplus to requirements at Tottenham, Ibrahimovic has suggested that Emerson is exactly the type of player they have been looking for since the start.
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