AC Milan’s senior adviser Zlatan Ibrahimovic is delighted with the arrival of Emerson Royal, insisting that the former Tottenham man perfectly fits the Rossoneri’s needs.
The negotiations between Tottenham and Milan over Emerson dragged on for what seemed like an eternity and at various points, it did seem like the talks might not bear fruit.
However, in the end, the two sides were able to strike a deal worth a reported £13m (TNT Sports), with the right-back getting his wish of sealing the transfer to the Italian giants before the start of the new season.
The Brazilian will be looking to get his career back on track after a disappointing last 12 months at Spurs and Ibrahimovic revealed that the defender’s desire to come to the San Siro was crucial to the deal going through.
The Swedish superstar told Tuttomercatoweb: “With Emerson, we have an extra reinforcement for the team. Emerson was very keen to come. I want to welcome Emerson Royal. We have been following him for a long time but we brought him at the right time.
“Physical, offensive and defensive player; he plays with a lot of intensity and a lot of grit. With Emerson, we become even stronger. He was one of the objectives we set ourselves from the beginning of the transfer market and finally today he is here. We are happy.”
Ibrahimovic insisted that Emerson was one of the very few options that possessed both the offensive and defensive qualities that Milan wanted.
The 42-year-old added: “What we want to build is a compact team. Offensively, we are compact and strong. (Now we also have the) defensive part with Emerson, Pavlovic. Then, we’ll see. Maybe there is room for something extra. We are working on it.
“The choice of Emerson was simple. He was the right profile. A balance between attack and defence. If you look at Fonseca and the identity (he wants), a profile like Emerson is perfect.
“If I have to choose, in my world, I like (my full-backs to be) more offensive. But the important thing is that he can do both phases.”
Emerson has the attributes to do very well do very well in a conventional back four in Paulo Fonseca’s system and I think the 25-year-old will quite enjoy the pace of the Serie A.
