As first seasons go, Ange Postecoglou did a reasonably good job at Tottenham Hotspur this year.
The Australian got off to a flyer thanks to a ten-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, and even though he missed out on Champions League qualification, securing Europa League football for next season is progress compared to last year.
That said, to reach the next level, Daniel Levy and Co. will need to back the Australian in the transfer window and help him clear out the deadwood in the squad.
This looks like it might be happening as one of the latest players touted for a move to N17 could see Emerson Royale axed and Pedro Porro given some real competition at right-back.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a report earlier this week from journalist Dean Jones via GIVEMESPORT, AS Monaco’s exciting right-back, Vanderson, is ‘being lined up’ as a target by Tottenham Hotspur.
Alongside the Lilywhites, Manchester United, Napoli, and Barcelona are said to be interested in the young defender and that it will take an offer in the region of £30m to get him out of Les Monégasques.
It could be a costly and complicated transfer to complete, but the chance of bringing in a genuine rival for Porro would justify the effort, especially as it would also allow Postecoglou to bin Royal from the squad.
How Vanderson compares to Royal and Porro
So, if Spurs see Vanderson as the perfect player to replace Royal and challenge Porro, how does he compare to the pair?
When it comes to pure output, he comes out where you’d expect him to; ahead of the Brazilian and behind the Spaniard with three goals and one assist to his name in just 23 games this season.
| Vanderson vs Royal vs Porro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Vanderson | Royal | Porro |
| Appearances | 23 | 24 | 37 |
| Goals | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Goal Involvements per Match | 0.17 | 0.04 | 0.29 |
| All Stats via Transfermarkt | |||
How do his underlying numbers stack up to the Spurs pair, then? Is it another case of better than one and worse than the other?
Interestingly, the Rondonópolis-born full-back, whom U23 scout Antonio claims is blessed with “obscene pace and acceleration”, not only outperforms the Spurs pair in the majority of relevant metrics but also does so by a significant margin in a few, suggesting he might be more than just competition.
| Vanderson vs Royal vs Porro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stats per 90 | Vanderson | Royal | Porro |
| Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists | 0.19 | 0.05 | 0.30 |
| Non-Penalty Goals | 0.16 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Assists | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Progressive Passes | 3.90 | 4.42 | 5.66 |
| Progressive Passes Received | 7.09 | 2.71 | 4.61 |
| Shots | 1.65 | 0.47 | 1.54 |
| Shots on Target | 0.55 | 0.23 | 0.35 |
| Shot-Creating Actions | 2.30 | 1.63 | 3.12 |
| Tackles | 3.30 | 2.79 | 2.65 |
| Tackles Won | 2.25 | 1.86 | 1.84 |
| Blocks | 1.59 | 1.78 | 1.84 |
| Interceptions | 1.92 | 1.55 | 0.99 |
| Errors Leading to a Shot | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Successful Take-Ons | 0.93 | 0.78 | 0.76 |
| Ball Recoveries | 6.92 | 6.36 | 5.80 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 0.66 | 1.16 | 0.44 |
| All Stats via FBref for the 23/24 League Season | |||
For example, while he’s second best for metrics like non-penalty expected goals, assists, and aerial duels won, he comes out way ahead for others like tackles and tackles won, non-penalty goals, progressive passes received, ball recoveries, errors leading to a shot, interceptions, shots, and shots on target, all per 90.
Ultimately, Levy and Co must bring Vanderson to the white side of North London this summer.
The “phenomenal” Brazilian, as Mango dubbed him, looks more than capable of challenging Porro for a permanent place in Postecoglou’s team next season, and if he does join the side, the Australian can finally bin Royal.
