Ange Postecoglou sent pointed transfer message amid £17m Tottenham demand

Emerson Royal says he has told Ange Postecoglou about his unhappiness at his lack of playing time at Tottenham and made a plea to be allowed to go somewhere he can play football.

The 25-year-old started just 11 Premier League matches last season with Pedro Porro the right-back of choice for Postecoglou in his maiden campaign at the north London club. Emerson did prove to be a useful asset for the Australian at times, particularly with his versatility meaning he filled in at centre-back and left-back at times as injuries took hold at Spurs.

However, the Brazilian, who is the subject of interest from AC Milan, wants to be a regular starter and during a recent interview back home he admitted that he told Postecoglou of his frustration last season.

"I've always made it clear. Every player likes to play. I'm very competitive. It bothers me a lot to be on the bench. I was upset and told the coach about it. But I've always been very professional. I've always been one of those who put the most intensity into training, but this situation doesn't work for me, so I don't know what my future will be. I'm not a player who sits on the bench. I want to play. If it's not here, I understand. But I want to go somewhere where I can play," he said to reporter Rodrigo Castro, from Brazilian media outlet EPTV, as reported by their affiliate Rede Globo.

"We are talking. I want to play for the Brazilian national team, to play in a World Cup. In recent years I have always been called up, with Tite, with Diniz. But I understand that if you don't play for the club it is unlikely that you will play for the national team. So I have to look for new places or, if I stay at Tottenham, get a good offer to play. We will see what is best for me and for everyone else."

Emerson was asked about the strong interest from AC Milan in taking him to Italy this summer to play Serie A football next season.

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"It's a very special moment. Knowing that teams of this magnitude want me," said the full-back. "It was special when Barcelona came after me, I realised a dream. Milan is a reference for us Brazilians, but I still don't know about the future. I hope I can return to play and join the national team."

If Emerson were to depart then there is one player in particular that he will miss at Tottenham, his fellow Brazilian Richarlison.

"Pombo is very special. He is a very good kid, with a huge heart. We got really close last year," he said. "He had problems with his manager and was feeling really bad, he isolated himself from everyone, he didn't want to talk to anyone. I was one of the people who managed to help him.

"I did psychological counselling, and that helped me a lot. I improved as a person. I told him about my experience and told him to try the same. We had lunch and dinner together. I took him out of the house. Being alone in this situation is really bad. It's clear that he's a different person now. It's a great joy to see Pombo like this today.

"How many people in the world have depression and suffer from it? And if no one talks about it, they won't know how to get out of it. We are important to society. People need to understand that this is not something that only crazy people do. I was afraid when my parents advised me to seek help, but when I broke that barrier, I saw how important it is to have support. If your mind is not well, your body will not be well either. A hug can save you from depression."

The defender admitted that one day he would love to play for Santos back home in Brazil.

"Santos is my childhood team. My brother and father are also Santos fans. It's a dream to play for Santos in the future," he said. "Not right now. I want to have a longer career in Europe, but I have debts in Brazil. I have one with Eduardo Baptista (coach). One day I'll play for whatever team he's in, for at least a year.

"He promoted me to the first team at Ponte, then he went to Palmeiras, and I went back to the Ponte youth team with Gilson Kleina. Then he (Eduardo) went back to Ponte and put me back in the first team. That's when I was sold to Atlético-MG."

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