Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - August 6, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur's Emerson Royal and Ivan Perisic celebrate after the match Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has had his praises sung by ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara for his recent upturn in form.
The Lowdown: Emerson Royal enjoying Spurs renaissance
Emerson Royal was brought to Tottenham in the summer of 2021 from Barcelona by former manager Nuno Espirito Santo – and he has been on some journey.
Even as recently as this season, the Brazilian has come under fire from pundits as well as his own fans. His low point arguably came when he was cheered off the pitch after being substituted against Leeds United in November.
However, a recent run of form, which has seen the defender notch twice since the turn of the year, including the opener in last week’s win over West Ham United, marks an impressive turnaround from the 24-year-old.
The Latest: Jamie O’Hara left raving over Emerson
Speaking on TalkSport, pundit and former Spurs man O’Hara appeared pleasantly surprised when commenting on the full-back’s form.
Ahead of Spurs’ upcoming Premier League clash against Chelsea, he said: “Emerson Royal, he’s all of a sudden had a kick up the backside that he needs and he looks like a decent player.
“Pedro Porro’s come in and he’s gone, ‘right, I need to actually step up here and play some decent football’, and he looks alright again.”
The Verdict: Emerson Royal making Spurs fans eat their words
Throughout his Tottenham career to date, Royal has often been at the centre of attention – for right and wrong reasons.
Whether he’s scoring against the champions or picking up a red card in the north London derby, there appears to be no in-between when it comes to Royal’s performances.
And it is a testament to the defender’s attitude that in a season which has seen plenty of hostility emerge from the Spurs fanbase, he has managed to bounce back from signing off for the World Cup break with his embarrassing display against Leeds to regaining his first-team slot and helping return Spurs to some semblance of decent form – getting on the scoresheet in the process.
Therefore, we would not be surprised if O’Hara wasn’t the only one to hold his opinion.
It is unknown what the key driver behind this impressive run of displays is, but let’s not take any credit away from Emerson Royal, who is certainly repaying Antonio Conte’s faith as he has seen off his competitors – including a new signing – for that wing-back role in recent weeks.
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