Pedro Porro is Tottenham’s next big transfer target, and there’s a reason they’re so desperate to add a fourth right-wing-back to their squad, as if three wasn’t enough. The Sporting Lisbon man has experience at right-back and as a winger, playing as a hybrid between the two in their 3-4-3 system — the same as that which Spurs use. Here are three things he does that none of Spurs’ current right-wing-backs do.

The 3-box-3 shape

Despite playing a traditionally counter-attacking formation in the 3-4-3, Sporting are precious about controlling games and dominating possession. One very common way teams achieve central control within this shape is by making it into a 3-box-3 shape with a four-man midfield. This can only be achieved if the wing-backs push high enough onto the opposition’s back line, allowing their fellow wingers to drop in and become two No10s helping the midfield-two.

Currently, Spurs are one of the worst examples of this working well. The wing-backs, especially on the right side, struggle to advance up the pitch quick enough for this transition to be effective. This is why we rarely see their wingers in central positions, and they constantly have to pin the opposing full-backs back while the likes of Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty take up a position near the opposing wingers and are often forced into an easily avoidable one-on-one duel as soon as they receive the ball.

It’s worth noting that aside from Harry Kane, Spurs’ wingers are their best players, so it makes sense for them to be involved on the ball as much as possible. Spurs’ wing-backs don’t facilitate this. However, Pedro Porro is often seen advancing very early in attacks and allowing the right-winger to drop into the hole and join in with the central progression of the ball. Spurs could use a player like him to help control possession more than they do.

Early crosses

If it wasn’t already obvious, Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side are trying to play effective counter-attacking football most of the time. For this, they need to attack quickly, be decisive in their passes, and make many runs off the ball all of the time. Again, they’re still struggling with their most prominent game plan.

Often, the players look reluctant to make third-man runs off the ball. The positions they take up are predictable to opposing players, and they’re left in one-v-one battles a lot of the time, usually against better players.

Pedro Porro is proficient in one-v-one situations, which could help in the short-run, but also offers an alternative approach to how Spurs currently attack. The 22-year-old loves an early cross. Since most defenders he comes up against know that he can beat them in a one-v-one, he sometimes catches them off guard by whipping a ball in behind the defence for someone to chase. This is precisely the sort of decisive play required for Spurs to counter-attack well. If Spurs were to work on the triggers for this in training, they’d be adding a seriously dangerous string to their bow.

Defending blindsides

Finally, off the ball, Spurs’ wing-backs often face a real issue in the mid-block. When play is progressing, Emerson Royal is regularly positioned between the two wide men on the other team. He can advance if a pass goes to their full-back but has to retreat frantically if the winger is played in. This leads to a communication issue with the centre-back Christian Romero a lot of the time, regarding which of them should close down the winger.

What Pedro Porro does, which is only made possible by his fitness and recovery runs, is sit back in line with the rest of the defence so that he can advance to deal with a winger if they receive a pass. This way, the opposition winger is not suddenly one-on-one with Romero, but instead has another defender to beat first. This is his way of making sure he never gets blindsided by a wide pass.