Pedro Porro fitness update delivered live on Sky Sports ahead of Tottenham vs Arsenal
Pedro Porro has trained with Tottenham all week in “good news” for manager Ange Postecoglou ahead of facing Arsenal this weekend.
The update was delivered live on Sky Sports News from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by reporter Michael Bridge [26 April, 12:07pm].
Porro hobbled off during the 4-0 defeat to Newcastle United on 13 April, but he is now pushing for inclusion for the North London derby clash.
Pedro Porro fitness update ahead of Tottenham vs Arsenal
“Pedro Porro has had a great season,” Bridge said. “He’s a doubt, but my understanding is he’s trained this week which is good news for Spurs.”
The Spaniard has indeed had a great season under Postecoglou, with Rio Ferdinand recently hailing him as “unreal” for his performances.
Porro has racked up seven assists in 29 Premier League outings this term, albeit the most recent of those came in January.
That saw him lead the way for the most assists ever recorded by a Spurs defender in a single Premier League campaign [Squawka].
The 24-year-old also netted in the recent 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, although his xG of 2.5 [FBref] suggests he should have had more.
While not perfect, then, Porro has certainly played his part in helping to roll out the type of football Postecoglou wants to play in North London.
Porro’s 6.4 expected assists per 90 minutes is bettered only by Dejan Kulusevski (6.9) and Son Heung-min (8.7) among Spurs players.
Pedro Porro showing his importance for Tottenham
The defender – if he can truly be called that given his positioning – also registers the second-most fouls per game 2.8, behind just Yves Bissouma (three).
As per WhoScored, his 1.7 dribbles per game is also easily the most of any Tottenham player in the Premier League, followed by Kulusevski (1.2).
Indeed, the 2.10 blocks he registers per 90 places him in the top three per cent of all full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months.
Porro is therefore a player who is able to combine both attacking and defending, with the latter an aspect he has undoubtedly unproved since Postecoglou took charge.
He is also now a lot more composed on the ball, as highlighted by his 88-per-cent pass-completion rate against Forest [Sofascore], the most recent game he played a full part in.
With Destiny Udogie ruled out of the Arsenal game, and indeed the rest of the season, Postecoglou will understandably be delighted to have Porro fit and available this weekend.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy is to blame after Spurs missed out on a £10million-plus payout amid a recent development.
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