Tottenham Hotspur must be pleased after bringing an end to the Emerson Royal saga. The Brazilian full-back, after weeks, finally secured his much-awaited move to AC Milan for €15 million plus €3 million in add-ons, signing a four-year contract with an option of an additional 12 months.
Following Emerson Royal’s exit, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has now two right-backs at his disposal—Pedro Porro and Djed Spence. Yet, it appears the north London club are planning to replace Emerson in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
According to reliable Brazilian journalist Bruno Andrade, Tottenham have opened talks with AS Monaco for right-back Vanderson.
Vanderson arrived at AS Monaco from Gremio in January 2022 and has become a mainstay for the Ligue 1 side’s backline. He has made 84 appearances across all competitions for Monaco this far, registering six goals and nine assists in the process.
Despite an injury-ravaged 2023/24 season, the Brazilian bagged three goals and an assist in 20 Ligue 1 appearances. He made a big impact at the back end of the last campaign as Monaco finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
The 23-year-old is an attacking right-back who can operate as a wing-back and right-sided midfielder as well, and we know by now how much Ange Postecoglou prefers players of that ilk. He is also capable of being a creative outlet from the deeper areas of the pitch, as evidenced by his aforementioned assists in Monaco colours.
Former Monaco boss Philippe Clement had praised Vanderson for his work ethic, mentality and fitness after the player would train “18 hours a day”, while indicating to strong interest in the player back in 2022.
“Vanderson has been less consistent recently but he is still a young player,” Clement had waxed lyrical about Vanderson in 2022.
“Every day he wants to be better than the last. That can give him a lot of pressure, lots of stress with all of the ambition that he has. We need to manage that more for him. If I left him to it, he would train for 18 hours a day. He is like that.
“Sometimes, we need physical and mental breaks. He is a young player that needs to manage that. He will do it, because he has such a positive frame of mind.”
The aforementioned journalist adds Monaco are expecting an offer in the region of €40 million (£34.2 million) for Vanderson, whose contract doesn’t expire until 2028. (Transfermarkt)
That said, however, Spurs have players at right-back which makes signing Vanderson not really necessary. Porro is the undisputed first-choice right-back and it is difficult to see him lose his spot in Postecoglou’s first XI. He has been a great attacking outlet for Spurs while being defensively reliable when required.
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Spence returned to the club earlier this summer after 18 months out on loan. The 24-year-old is expected to be retained, with Postecoglou viewing Spence as a deputy to Porro for the upcoming season. If Spence would have been allowed to leave, then the signing of a new right-back—presumably—Vanderson would have been extremely critical.
And for the price Monaco are demanding, Spurs would be better off staying away from Vanderson. Instead, we must look to invest the funds into improving our wide department.
