View: Pedro Porro set to benefit from Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at Tottenham
Tottenham signed Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon during the 2022 January transfer window on an initial £5million loan deal with a £39million obligation to buy.
Since his arrival, the Spaniard has settled well to life in North London, scoring three times and providing three assists in his 15 appearances in the Premier League so far.
And with Ange Postecoglou set to take over, the Australian’s style of play could really help the full-back to kick on and hit another level next season.
Postecoglou is a progressive, forward-thinking manager who likes to play his football on the front foot, a system which Porro could thrive within.
At Celtic, the 57-year-old would use a 4-3-3 with very wide wingers. The idea was to create space in the inside channels which his full-backs could then exploit.
As per stats provided by FBREF, Porro has made 2.71 progressive carries per 90 during his time in the Premier League so far, which demonstrates his willingness to get forward, and with Postecgolou’s system providing space to run into, this could be something the right-back looks to exploit more often next season.
Throughout his career, Postecoglou has shown his appreciation for an attacking right-back. While managing Australia, an attacking-minded player was preferred at right-back with a natural full-back likely to feature on the left.
The right-wing-back would be more likely to press the ball aggressively than the left-back. Porro’s stats suggest he is no stranger to engaging with opponents higher up the field.
Last season, Porro made 1.19 tackles in the middle third, more than he made in his defensive third (0.64), which put him in the 95th percentile of this particular statistic.
As well as this, Porro would challenge 3.10 dribbles per 90, putting him in the 91st percentile for this statistic. This aggressive style of defending is something that Postecoglou will certainly appreciate as he starts to work with his new right-back.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou will look to win over the Spurs faithful just as he did the Celtic faithful.