{"id":262997,"date":"2026-09-16T19:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T19:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/16\/30m-spurs-star-is-becoming-their-biggest-scapegoat-since-aurier-royal\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T19:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T19:40:11","slug":"30m-spurs-star-is-becoming-their-biggest-scapegoat-since-aurier-royal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/16\/30m-spurs-star-is-becoming-their-biggest-scapegoat-since-aurier-royal\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a330m Spurs star is becoming their biggest scapegoat since Aurier & Royal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Oh Tottenham<\/a>, you don’t make life easy, do you? After a summer in which an immense sense of positivty had engulged the club, this has not been a good start to the new season.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They have won just once this term, a 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic. The irony is clear. Championship opposition, the Addicks are who Spurs would have been playing had they actually been relegated. Perhaps that is their level?<\/p>\n

We jest, of course, but Roberto De Zerbi will no doubt already be feeling the pressure. They are now out of the Carabao Cup and are yet to score a single goal in the Premier League<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n
\n <\/picture>REUTERS\/Scott Heppell<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Still, the squad is at least better than it has been. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes are an upgrade on the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, underperforming midfielders of the past. Archie Gray and Pedro Porro are clearly better players than Serge Aurier and Emerson Royal.<\/p>\n

Still, that hasn’t stopped some Aurier and Royal-esque scapegoats from appearing in the modern-day.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n What went wrong for Aurier and Royal at Spurs<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Spursy. It was a term Igor Tudor was asked about when he became Tottenham boss at the beginning of 2026. Fortunately, he didn’t know what it meant.<\/p>\n

Sadly, it’s a curse that still engulfes this great club. They did beat the drop in 2025\/26 but throughout the new season they have been the laughing stock again.<\/p>\n

This has been the case for years. Cast your mind back to the days of Antonio Conte. Remember that fiery press conference? He was damning of the club’s history, saying: “Tottenham’s story is this: 20 years, there is this owner [Daniel Levy], and they never won something. Why? If they want to continue in this way, they can change the manager- a lot of managers- but the situation cannot change.”<\/p>\n

Why was that the case? Well, they had players like Aurier and Royal. The former never actually played under Conte. He was released in the summer of 2021 but remarkably was replaced by the latter who arrived from Barcelona to the tune of around \u00a325m. Both players did not cover themselves in glory in north London.<\/p>\n

They were error-prone, riddled with mistakes. Where do you even begin with Aurier? The right-back committed a hat-trick of foul throws against Crystal Palace in 2018 which rather summed up his time in the capital.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Serge\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course, that did not impact Spurs too negatively but a series of blunders at the back did. His most costly error came against Manchester City in the 2021 Carabao Cup final when he committed a needless foul on Raheem Sterling. The end result was a free-kick from which Pep Guardiola’s side scored the winner.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the conclusion of the match, former Spurs man Jamie Redknapp commented: “He just makes the most ridiculous and rash decision, which we see him do so often. Just stand up, don\u2019t dive in, don\u2019t give the foul away – elementary mistake.”<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Aurier and Royal at Spurs<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

–<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Aurier<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Royal<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Signed for<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a323m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a325m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Games<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

110<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

101<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Goals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

8<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Assists<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

17<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Yellow cards<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

9<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Red cards<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Where are they now?<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Free agent<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Flamengo<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Royal was not much better. Passive defensively and a poor decision maker, he was caught out time and time again. The most notable example was perhaps against Liverpool in May 2023 when he was at fault for the first and third goals in a 4-2 defeat.<\/p>\n

Under Conte, he was one of the biggest culprits for their lack of success. The fact they replaced one error prone full-back with another defies belief. Truth be told, it’s very Spursy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Spurs have found another Emerson and Aurier<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

In the present day, De Zerbi has the Tottenham defence looking far more organised. While they did ship three goals against Liverpool in the cup on Tuesday evening, prior to that, they had kept consecutive clean sheets against Nottingham Forest and Everton. The woes the backline have experienced in recent years certainly are not as apparent.<\/p>\n

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\n
\"De\n <\/picture>REUTERS\/Dylan Martinez<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Yet, the Lilywhites are struggling big time in attack. Despite spending \u00a385m on Savio and bringing in Omar Marmoush<\/a>, their fortunes are yet to change. They have scored just once in their last four matches.<\/p>\n

What hasn’t helped is a constant reliance on Mathys Tel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Frenchman signed in a \u00a330m deal from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2025 and it would be safe to say that he has not been a positive signing.<\/p>\n

Still, there were encouraging signs in pre-season. Tel was sensational for De Zerbi, scoring a beautiful free-kick against Sydney and proving to be a real livewire from the flanks.<\/p>\n

He also created two goals for Mikey Moore in captivating fashion against Hoffenheim. It looked as though the 21-year-old had finally found his groove in English football.<\/p>\n

Yet, he has not been able to deliver the same level of performance in competitive action. It’s rather brutal but he is becoming the new big scapegoat at Spurs. He’s not a defensive problem in the same way Aurier and Royal were, but you could call him the attacking version. When he gets on the ball, nothing seems to go right. His decision making leaves a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

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\n
\"mathys-tel-spurs\n <\/picture>REUTERS\/Scott Heppell<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s one of the reasons Tottenham have struggled so much in the final third this term. Tel is yet to register a goal or assist in 2026\/27 and his performance against Liverpool this week was indicative of his own individual problems.<\/p>\n

It was amazing he lasted 85 minutes. In the words of Football.London’s Alasdair Gold<\/a>, there was ‘plenty of huff and puff with nothing at the end of it’. That sums up Tel perfectly.<\/p>\n

During his time on the pitch, he did not have a single shot, nor did he supply a key pass. He gave away possession 17 times, once every two touches and he won just five of his 13 duels. This was not a timely performance, particularly after De Zerbi was seen shouting at him post-Everton.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Roberto\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The simple fact is that Tel, much like Emerson and Royal in the days of Conte and Co, is not robust enough. Sure, he’s an effervescent dribbler and looks to take on a man but his end product is too poor; he only scored four times last season.<\/p>\n

So, you can rather understand why supporters have made him the centre of their negativity right now, why he is public enemy number one. He’s still young enough to improve but with Spurs aiming for greater heights, they must look at alternative solutions.<\/p>\n