Emerson Royal joined Tottenham Hotspur from Barcelona this summer, despite holding talks with Arsenal, and the defender confirmed that it was Barcelona’s decision which proved crucial.
Our noisy neighbours had initially made comments about ‘gazumping’ us over the Brazilian right-back’s signature, with reports that we had also held talks with him over a deal.
Emerson himself has now confirmed that he did in fact hold talks with both clubs, but that he wasn’t able to make a verbal agreement with anyone at the time due to his former club’s stance, and he was eventually told that Spurs had struck a deal which was in favour of both teams.
The right-back told ESPN Brasil(via SportWitness): “I actually had a conversation with Edu. I did talk to Edu in the same week. And we talked, he showed me the desire of the club and such. And, of course, I needed Barcelona, I couldn’t settle anything with anyone, Barcelona had to deal club to club.
“And that’s where Barcelona went and found a deal with Tottenham. I also got to talk to Tottenham, at first I didn’t have any verbal agreement with anyone.
“That’s when Barcelona told me that they had made an agreement with Tottenham. I listened to the proposal, for me it was a good proposal, not only financial, for me that’s what counts least. But it had a very good career project for me. So this is why I chose to come to Tottenham.”
It certainly doesn’t sound as if he was against a switch to the red side of London, saying that he couldn’t make an agreement without permission from Barcelona, but thank god we didn’t follow up on those talks.
We have gotten a much better deal in signing Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has hit the ground running at the Emirates, and I believe the majority of Spurs fanbase will already have to concede to that fact also.
Patrick
Thanks for choosing spurs, we don’t need you as we v got a better player in Tomi
still way too early to tell what team got the better deal, but so far Tomi looks like a rare late window find of some consequence for both the now and the future
30 million, mmmm no thanks!
I’m happy with Tomi, thanks.
Too early to pass judgement on who got the better deal. But that said, Tomi, is fast proving to be the signing of the summer for us with his performances. Key in that fact is the way he has solved our three-back tactics while attacking, freeing up the midfield two to focus on forwards play, while helping the two CBs to ably cover the entire defensive zone.
We got what we needed in Tomiyasu. He is more suited to our team than Emerson Royal.
2 good fullbacks, but we got who is better for our team, and the kudos to Arteta.
Tomiyasu offers the grit and solidity we are lacking or missing in the right back.
Tomiyasu is a proper Arsenal fullback. A player with pace, height (188cm) and technique…. contended with defending, a very happy defender.