Ange has a future £100m star who can end Porro’s Spurs career

“I at all times win one thing in my second season”. These had been the phrases, properly there or thereabouts, of Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou earlier this time period.

With Spurs sat in 14th place within the Premier League and staring down the barrel of one other trophyless marketing campaign, the craggy-faced Australian is clearly strolling on skinny ice.

Whereas it has been a horrific season on a home stage, the Lilywhites are no less than having fun with a robust run in Europe. The Europa League stays the only real likelihood Ange has of successful a significant honour this time period and it could possibly be decisive in whether or not he retains his job.

Daniel Levy has overseen the sacking and hiring of many a supervisor throughout his time in north London and can pray that Postecoglou can engineer a turnaround. Stability is what they want heading into subsequent season.

It is not simply been a difficult season for the supervisor and his teaching employees, however numerous Spurs gamers haven’t been as much as the duty, notably in defence.

Pedro Porro has been probably the most suspect member of the backline.

Pedro Porro’s season in numbers

Contemplating the front-footed nature of Postecoglou’s model of play, Spurs are at all times going to concede objectives. Whereas they thrilled supporters with their attacking soccer final season and at first of this time period, it has finally come on the expense of outcomes.

They’ve needed to take care of numerous accidents, notably at full-back, lacking Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Future Udogie at one stage this season.

Fact be instructed, any facet would miss three quarters of their backline however Porro, because the senior statesmen alongside the likes of Archie Grey and Radu Dragusin, didn’t cowl himself in glory.

There have been some notable errors this season, they usually largely concentrate on the Spaniard’s positioning, an space of the sport that he hasn’t improved upon since an terrible debut sport towards Leicester.

Tim Sherwood was fast to critique him after that sport, merely suggesting that “Porro is so unhealthy it’s unbelievable. His positioning is disgusting.”

Since that second he did enhance, noticeably within the last third. In 2023/24, the Spain worldwide scored 4 occasions and posted seven assists. He is contributed seven assists this time period too.

Nevertheless, whereas he is able to magical moments in attacking phases of play, the 25-year-old is constantly caught out on the again.

Take Spurs’ defeat to Ipswich at house earlier within the season. Porro was caught out positionally for each objectives in that 2-1 loss.

There was that agonising second towards Arsenal, too, the place Leandro Trossard’s good activate the left flank left the right-back within the mud.

Then there was his concession of the ball within the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Caught up the sector, Porro gave away possession, which allowed Milos Kerkez to interrupt down the left and cross for Marcus Tavernier to seek out the online.

It was the most recent in an extended line of errors. So, the place can Postecoglou flip to?

How Spurs can clear up their Porro conundrum

Probably the most pure answer for Tottenham Hotspur right here is to unleash Djed Spence, a participant tipped to be included in certainly one of Thomas Tuchel’s England squads after a outstanding revival this season.

Spence did not characteristic in any respect for Spurs final 12 months, loaned out to each Leeds United and Genoa in Italy however he has returned with a vengeance and now seems like a significant a part of the membership’s future, showing in 24 video games, scoring twice and registering two assists.

With Porro reportedly attracting curiosity from elsewhere forward of the summer time, Spence should be capable of look ahead to a extra common function within the facet.

Nevertheless, that function needs to be handed to Archie Grey as a substitute, a “future £100m” expertise within the eyes of information analyst Ben Mattinson.

Grey signed from Leeds final summer time for round £30m and has endured a little bit of a baptism of fireside in Spurs colors. A midfielder by commerce, the overwhelming majority of his outings underneath Postecoglou have come at centre-back, largely due to their defensive harm disaster.

He did catch the attention, although, with the supervisor notably hailing his performances out of place: “He does not draw back from it, he does not conceal. He simply retains going. We’ll get monumental progress out of him throughout this era, however proper now he is contributing to us, he is serving to us.”

Regardless of impressing within the centre of defence, his future definitely seems as if it’s going to be barely additional ahead in midfield and even in Porro’s right-back place.

Certainly, it was on the proper facet of defence that {the teenager} captured the creativeness for Leeds final season, lacking simply two Championship video games and showing at right-back on 30 events.

Not solely will he offer you a extra polished defensive efficiency than Porro at right-back however he may contribute successfully within the last third. He solely picked up two assists final marketing campaign however on the age of simply 19, he has loads of time to develop that facet of his sport.

A type of assists got here in 4-0 win over Swansea in February 2024, with BBC pundit Jon Newsome waxing lyrical over his show on the time: “I believe typically it’s fairly straightforward to overlook he’s solely 17. You have a look at him now and he’s like this skilled, high quality footballer. He’s a child! However he’s not a child, he’s a child in a person’s physique with a person’s mentality. He’s approach clever past his years, completely very good younger man.”

So, whereas Porro’s future within the north of London does not look too brilliant, it definitely seems rosy for Mr Grey who seems set to dazzle Premier League audiences for some time but, whatever the place he performs in.