Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte 'really isn't happy' with right wing-back trio Djed Spence, Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty, according to former BBC radio pundit Noel Whelan.
The Lowdown: Uninspiring form
Emerson Royal has featured at right-wing back 14 times in the Premier League for Spurs this season, but many fans are clearly growing tired of his performances, booing him onto the field when he was brought on as a substitute against Aston Villa on New Year's Day.
However, Conte is not currently blessed with reliable options to replace the Brazilian, with Spence seemingly not at the level required since arriving from Middlesbrough in the summer, appearing for just five minutes in the league.
Doherty showed some decent signs by scoring against Crystal Palace, but he is now 30, and a more long-term option may be required.
The Latest: Conte could cull all three
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that all three of the aforementioned players could leave Tottenham in the next year, as Conte is not truly convinced by any of his current right-back options.
The 48-year-old former Leeds striker stated: “The performances in this position just aren’t up to standard.
“It’s not just Emerson Royal, it’s all of them. Doherty may have scored against Palace, but his future is still under big question marks.
“We’ve said with whoever is playing right wing-back – Conte really isn’t happy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them all leave this year.
“It’s always been the question mark, and none of these players have set the right benchmark. It’s all over the place. It doesn’t surprise me to hear that Royal might be on the way out.
“Conte is trying to generate the funds he needs to overhaul what is probably the most fragile area of their squad.”
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The Verdict: Time to go?
Spence clearly has a lot of potential, emerging as a vital player for Nottingham Forest last season as he played 42 times in their promotion-winning Championship campaign, so Spurs should look to find him a suitable loan move, rather than immediately cutting their losses on the £20m man.
However, Conte should perhaps look at getting the other two players off the wage bill in order to bring in Pedro Porro, who has recently been linked with the north Londoners.
The Spaniard has all the hallmarks of being a fantastic attacking wing-back, placing in the 99th percentile for assists per 90 minutes over the past year among positional peers in Europe's major leagues, averaging 0.41 per game.
With Emerson averaging just 0.1 per match and Doherty none at all, the contrast between those two and the Sporting Lisbon gem is stark.