Who is Pedro Porro? The man to improve Tottenham at right wing-back

With the World Cup over, normal action has resumed in north London. As we near the January transfer window, rumours are abound that Antonio Conte is considering his position at Tottenham. The club are keen to tie the Italian down to a new deal, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season, but Conte is supposedly reluctant to put pen to paper. 

Much of that is supposedly down to a lack of investment, even after Spurs' summer splurge. Whether this is merely Conte showing his hand in order to be backed fully in the market, it remains to be seen, but a lack of investment at right wing-back is believed to have irked for the former Chelsea and Inter boss. 

Spurs did invest in the position in the summer, signing Djed Spence from Middlesbrough, yet the 22-year-old has failed to leapfrog Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty in the pecking order, registering just three minutes of top-flight action. Even with concerns over Emerson and Doherty, Spence is unlikely to earn regular game time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium anytime soon, particularly with Conte demanding another right wing-back. 

Top quality players in the role are at a premium, and as such, come at a premium price. Denzel Dumfries impressed for the Netherlands at the World Cup, yet Inter will demand a big price for the Dutchman, while Spurs are unlikely to convince PSG to sell Achraf Hakimi, so they need to look elsewhere. 

Unfortunately for Spurs, they'll need to pay top price for potential targets in January, one of which is Pedro Porro. The Sporting CP star fits the mould, that's for sure. Porro has made 118 key passes since the start of the 2020/21 Liga Bwin campaign; only Alejandro Grimaldo (134) has made more of defenders, with the Sporting defender's return the fifth overall. 

Over the same period, Porro has attempted more crosses (408) than any other player, while a cross success rate of 26.7% ranks 54th of the 164 players to have made 50 or more crosses since the start or 2020/21. Unsurprisingly, Porro has developed statistically calculated WhoScored strengths of 'key passes' and 'crossing', and on the face of it; he seems the ideal wing-back for Conte. 

As has been known, Conte wants his wing-backs to bombard upfield and put the ball in the box as another route to goal. Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon carry out these roles well on the left flank, and the pair will be joined by Destiny Udogie in the summer, yet Emerson has failed to improve the attacking side to his game since joining from Barcelona 18 months ago. Doherty showed glimpses of his best form down the right, but a knee injury sustained at Aston Villa last season saw him drop down the pecking order, and at 30 years of age, he'll need replacing before too long. 

Spurs did get a good look at Porro when the pair met in the Champions League group stages earlier in the year, and they will have been impressed at what they saw of the 23-year-old. Indeed, more than capable of getting forward in the blink of an eye, Porro also shows a willingness to drop into a deeper role to ensure his side isn't caught out in the space he vacates when he gets upfield. 

A return of 3.2 tackles per 90 ranks 19th of those to have registered at least 250 minutes of Champions League action this season, and while this does drop in Liga Bwin to 1.8 tackles per 90, this'll likely be down to Sporting's domestic dominance compared to continential competition. However, even with Porro prepared to drop back into the defence to ensure Sporting aren't caught out defensively, there are concerns over whether he is physically ready for the Premier League. 

At 5ft7in, Porro isn't the most imposing in his position, and in England's top tier, this could be exploited. It's part of the reason why Emerson has kept his place in the Spurs side ahead of Doherty and Spence. The Brazilian has his attacking struggles, yet isn't easily bullied off the ball, and this weighs in his favour. Additionally, Manchester City inserted a buyback clause in his contract when they sold him to Sporting earlier this year, so could, in theory, re-sign Porro next month and sell him on at a higher price, as they did with Angelino. 

Yet he would be an improvement on the options at Conte's disposal at right wing-back, notably in the final third, which is what the Spurs boss craves. Experienced in his preferred 3-4-3 setup, this certainly weighs in Porro's favour and even with his defensive and physical issues, he could prove a very astute capture at right wing-back for Spurs next month.