It’s done. After one of the more protracted and annoying transfer sagas in recent memory, Emerson Royal has completed his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to AC Milan. The move was confirmed by the club social media accounts on Monday. He joins on a four year deal with an option for an addition fifth year should Milan choose to exercise it.
We have reached agreement with AC Milan for the transfer of Emerson Royal.
Wishing you all the best for the future, @Emerson_Royal22
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 12, 2024
It felt like this was never going to get over the line, but the reports are that Emerson is signing for an initial €15m transfer fee plus 2-3m in optional clauses. That doesn’t get up to the €20m that Spurs wanted, but it’s a nice compromise, and it feels like in this particular case the devil really was in the details.
Emerson leaves Tottenham as, if I can be so bold, a future Spurs cult hero. Yes, he struggled here under several managers with WIDELY divergent tactics and yes, he’s very very much not suited to Ange Postecoglou’s inverted fullback tactics. But that’s not to say he’s not a good player — he just didn’t end up being a good player for us.
What he is, though, is a very good person. He was a model professional and well-liked by his teammates, forging an especially close bond with his countryman Richarlison, whom he convinced to seek professional counseling when Richy was struggling with his mental health a couple of seasons ago. Emerson was also known for dropping staggering comp videos of his matches on social media, including one notable comp of his partner giving birth to their child!
Tottenham needed an upgrade at the right back position and got one with Pedro Porro, and Emerson wanted to leave to head to a place where he can get regular football. I get it, and Spurs accommodated that move. But I’m always going to like the guy and I hope he crushes it in Italy.
Buona fortuna, Emerson and thanks for all the memories!
