There is no denying that it has not been a happy start to life at Tottenham Hotspur for January arrival, Pedro Porro, with the Spain international – who is set to be snapped up permanently on a £39m deal this summer – having struggled to make his mark in his new surroundings.
While the on-loan Sporting CP ace did help to spark the recent comeback at home to Manchester United with a delightful, volleyed effort, the 23-year-old has come in for notable criticism due to his errant form, with former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood stating the defender “is so bad it’s unbelievable”, following his debut outing in the grim loss to Leicester City.
More recently, the former Manchester City man was all at sea in the 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United, with 90min’s Grey Whitebloom awarding him a 1/10 match rating, while stating that the wing-back ‘never quite grasped where he was supposed to be on the pitch.’
The two-cap defender was again somewhat culpable during Sunday’s last-gasp defeat away to Liverpool, having ‘struggled defensively’ – according to football.london’s Rob Guest – after notably failing to track Curtis Jones at the back post for the game’s opener.
Porro’s woes have also been laid bare by his grim statistical record as the 5 foot 8 asset has notably been a real liability on the ball after losing possession 15.6 times per game on average from his 11 Premier League appearances, having also been dribbled past 1.8 times per game.
As such, caretaker boss Ryan Mason may need to consider whether it is worth taking the Spaniard out of the firing line over the coming games, with it potentially a chance to give exciting youngster Romaine Mundle a chance to impress in a wing-back berth.
Who is Tottenham’s Romaine Mundle?
While more of a forward player by trade, the versatile Mundle has also been deployed in a full-back role or as a wing-back so far this term, notably taking on that latter berth during the mid-season friendly clash with Motherwell back in December.
The 19-year-old clearly “looks a player” – as per MUTV commentator Stewart Gardner during the recent 2-2 draw with Manchester United’s U21’s – having racked up eight goals and five assists in 32 games across all fronts this season, including 11 goals and assists in just 23 Premier League 2 outings.
That standout form has ensured that there are a “number of Premier League clubs keeping an eye on him” – as per respected insider Alasdair Gold – with just a matter of weeks to run on his existing deal, albeit with talks set to “continue” over a possible extension, according to Gold
Also the subject of interest from clubs in the Bundesliga, the “talented” wide man – as hailed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano – is clearly a potential star of the future, having evidently “impressed” in the youth ranks this term, according to journalist George Sessions.
While a first-team bow has yet to emerge despite regularly featuring in matchday squads in recent weeks, the £700-per-week sensation has impressed against senior opposition in the EFL Trophy earlier in the campaign, notably averaging two key passes per game from his three outings – a better record than what Porro has achieved in the top flight (1.5).
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