For all the sensationally talented players Tottenham Hotspur have had over the years, like Harry Kane and Gareth Bale, they’ve had more than their fair share of duds.
Be that the expensive kind like Tanguy Ndombele and Richarlison or the cheaper but still disappointing variety like Clinton N’Jie and Vincent Janssen.
However, there have also been those who fit somewhere in the middle, including one player who saw his stock plummet in North London: Serge Aurier.
The Ivorian international became something of a scapegoat at Spurs by his own doing, and now it looks like Ange Postecoglou has his own version of the defender in this current squad.
Serge Aurier's Spurs career
In the summer of 2017, Spurs completed the sale of Kyle Walker to Manchester City for around £50m, the record for a defender at the time, and needed a new right-back to replace him.
Instead of looking for that player in the Premier League, the club turned to Paris Saint-Germain and paid around £23m for their exciting but trouble-making full-back, Aurier.
The Ivorian defender had just come off a relatively impressive campaign in which he had provided five assists in 32 games, but as he had been handed a two-month suspended sentence the year before, it was no surprise to see the Parisians so willing to move him on.
Unfortunately, the Ouragahio-born ace made a poor first impression in the Premier League, as in his first league start for the North Londoners, he managed to get himself sent off against West Ham United, which almost cost his side the game.
Even though it would be two years before the right-back was sent off for a second time, he had almost immediately reinforced the opinion people had of him and by September of his first campaign, he had Jamie Redknapp describing him as “all over the place” and Teddy Sheringham calling him “erratic.”
Such critiques reemerged in full force when his foul led to Manchester City’s game-winning free-kick in the 2021 League Cup final, with Jamie Carragher describing him as “one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football.”
Aurier finally saw his contract terminated by mutual consent that summer, leaving with a tally of eight goals and 17 assists in 110 appearances, but did so as a scapegoat, and now it looks as if Postecoglou has his own version of the Ivorian in his team.
Spurs' new Aurier
There are probably a few players who could fit this description in the current Spurs squad, from Radu Dragusin to Yves Bissouma.
However, when it comes down to it, we reckon that Pedro Porro is the closest player to Aurier in Postecoglou’s squad.
Now, there are a few apparent similarities between the pair, such as them both being right-backs, and offensive ones at that – the Spaniard has racked up 26 goal involvements since joining in 2023.
Appearances
94
Starts
85
Minutes
7788′
Goals
9
Assists
17
Goal Involvements per Game
0.27
Minutes per Goal Involvement
299.53′
Yellow Cards
8
Points per Game
1.47
Yet, the most significant similarity is that, like the Ivorian, the former Sporting CP star, who joined the club under Antonio Conte’s tenure, has become something of a scapegoat.
That may sound harsh, but it’s hard to disagree with, as for all his attacking talent, this season has seen the 25-year-old become more and more of a defensive problem for the team.
For example, there have been numerous cases of him being turned inside out by opposition wingers, like Lenadro Trossard in mid-January or Jeremy Doku last month.
Moreover, it’s not just individual moments he’s struggled either, as journalist Mitch Fretton described his performance against Ipswich Town last year as a “horror show”, and then at the weekend against Bournemouth, the Daily Express’ Tom Parsons gave him a 3/10 match rating.
Lastly, according to FBref, he sits in just the top 46% of full-backs in the Premier League for tackles, the top 48% for clearances and the bottom 12% for pass completion percentage.
Ultimately, while Porro can be effective in attack, he’s proven time and time again that he is a serious problem when it comes to the defensive side of his game, and if he is continuously played at right-back, he could be the club’s next Aurier.
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