From Doubtful to Essential: Why Pedro Porro May Become Spurs' Best Right-Back of the PL Era.
Written by Dustin Gentile - https://x.com/White_Hart_Live
Let's start with a question that seems simple on paper: who is Tottenham Hotspur FC's best right-back of the Premier League era? I am not talking about best in the 144-year history of the club. That honour seems like it would belong to Danny Blanchflower, and he was WELL before my time. I am talking about the best right-back in the last 34 years.
There are a few names that would make most people's shortlist (Kyle Walker, Stephen Carr), a couple of names that would make some top-five lists but probably fall short of the term "best" (Kieran Trippier, Serge Aurier, Emerson Royal), some blasts from the past that only long-time fans may remember (Mauricio Taricco, Paul Stalteri, Dean Austin), and Matt Doherty... well, sorry Matt, you are probably not getting a mention on this list.
If we look at recent history, I think there is one name that is slowly making his case to ascend to the top. A right-back who has endured a myriad of managers and has consistently produced for the club (and now even for his country), and I am here to prove it. In Tottenham's revolving door of managers, Pedro Porro remained a constant.
Despite an inauspicious start to his Spurs tenure, the Spanish right-back has become a fixture in the team's starting XI over the past three-and-a-half seasons.
High Hopes, Slow Starts Coming out of the 2022 World Cup break, Antonio Conte's Spurs needed more attacking options and depth at right-back. The club sat fifth in the Premier League table and needed something extra to get over the hump. Spurs had recently brought in Arnaut Danjuma (bet you did not expect to see that name when you opened this link) on loan from Villarreal and hoped to land one more option to push them over the top. Enter Pedro Porro...
When Porro signed on the penultimate day of the 2023 January transfer window, there was a lot of excitement about how the former Manchester City player could fit into Conte's system, which utilized wing-backs as key pieces of the attack. His signing marked the arrival of the side's first true attacking right wing-back. Emerson Royal was a traditional right-back who lacked the attacking prowess to fit Conte's Tottenham.
Japhet Tanganga was a center-back moonlighting in the role—yet another square peg in the round hole of Conte's system. The one true right wing-back was Matt Doherty, who had finally settled into his role after a slow start following his arrival from Wolves. Solid rotation with Porro, right? Well... the day of Porro's arrival saw another piece of business done. It was decided that Matt Doherty would go on loan to Atlético Madrid, but there was one problem: Spurs already had eight players on international loan, which was the maximum FIFA allowed. As a result, Doherty's contract was canceled to allow him to move as a free agent. (Side note: this has to be one of the biggest examples of horrendous mismanagement in modern football history. How can a club of this size not know rules like this? But that's a topic better suited for its own piece...)
So as January turned to February, Pedro Porro was officially Tottenham's top-choice right-back—no turning back! Their newest signing was on display less than two weeks later when he made his club debut at the King Power Stadium against Leicester. Things seemingly got off to a great start as Rodrigo Bentancur opened the scoring in the 14th minute. That was about the last positive anyone could say concerning Spurs that day, as they eventually fell 4-1.
How did Pedro Porro fare in his debut? Spurs lead pundit Alasdair Gold summed it up in his post-match player rankings: "A tough, nervy start to life in the Premier League with a poor first touch, and then he was sold a dummy by Barnes, which led to Bentancur getting booked. Chances to get forward were rare, and he looked shaky at the back. He will hopefully adapt, but this was not a debut to remember fondly."
In summary: OOF! Not the start anyone would have wanted, but it would get better, right? Well, not at first. Porro played just seven minutes across the next three matches before getting his second start in the FA Cup fifth round against second-tier Sheffield United, earning a 7.5 rating according to FotMob. Despite that rating, his performance still left more to be desired, especially as Spurs crashed out of the tournament 1-0. All in all, Pedro Porro's first season in North London ended with the Spaniard playing 1,254 minutes in 17 matches (14 starts). The good: Porro finished with six goal contributions in his 15 Premier League appearances (three goals and three assists) and emerged as Spurs' top choice as an attacking right-back. The bad: Porro ranked toward he bottom among Premier League right-backs in key possession and defensive metrics.
The ugly: Spurs earned a grand total of seven points across their final eight matches, falling from Champions League contention to missing out on European football entirely for the 2023–24 season. It also spelled the end for two Tottenham managers in quick succession, as Antonio Conte was sacked on March 26 and his replacement, Cristian Stellini, met the same fate on April 24. To say the least, it was not the ideal start.
Ascension Under Ange: The rise of Pedro Porro really took shape with the arrival of Ange Postecoglou. Postecoglou's front-footed, attacking style allowed Porro to thrive and become one of the first names on the team sheet week after week. In his first season under the Australian, Porro appeared in all but four matches as Spurs marched back into European contention. In addition to his consistent performances, he scored one of the goals of the season in the FA Cup third-round tie against Burnley—a screamer from over twenty yards out that sent supporters home happy. After a solid fifth-place finish in year one of the Postecoglou era, fans were excited for year two. The bar was high, as the manager reminded everyone: "I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year." This sentiment served as a pseudo-"Sword of Damocles," as the weight of expectation took its toll throughout the 2024–25 season.
We all remember what happened next... but let's remind ourselves anyway. Sing along if you know the tune: "Waka waka, hey hey! Seventeenth, I don't know how—we won in Bilbao!" While it's easy to gloss over the ugliness of the 2024–25 domestic campaign and focus solely on the club lifting its first major trophy in 17 years as Europa League Champions, it was a standout season for Pedro Porro on an individual note. The right-back made 51 appearances in lilywhite, tallying four goals and nine assists across all competitions. That included the final dagger in the semifinal against Bodø/Glimt, where his cross set up the goal in a 2-0 second-leg win. Furthermore, Porro's defensive outputs reached new heights, addressing what had previously been the main critique of his game. It was time for supporters to recognize his place among the top right-backs of the club's Premier League era.
In two seasons playing under Postecoglou, the Spaniard made 88 appearances in a Spurs shirt, tallying 24 goal contributions (eight goals and 16 assists) in 7,401 minutes played. To put that in perspective, Spurs played 9,090 total minutes of competitive football under Postecoglou—meaning Porro was on the pitch for 81.4% of them. It is a testament to his health, availability, and high-level consistency. 2025–26: No Valley Low, No Mountain High If you had to summarize Pedro Porro's 2025–26 campaign in one word, it would be dichotomy.
No one would argue that the 2025–26 season for Tottenham Hotspur was an utter disaster. Another year ended with multiple manager changes, another 17th-place finish (and a much uglier one than the year before), no Europa League title to save it, and no cushion above the relegation zone amidst a relentless injury bug. It was BRUTAL. In May, fans were realistically contemplating what it would look like to play in the Championship. Thankfully, our London neighbors West Ham graciously bottled things up to take the plunge instead.
In spite of all this, the one beacon of consistency was Pedro Porro. He appeared in 48 of the club's 52 competitive matches (starting 45). To highlight his value: 27 players missed significant time due to injury during the season (according to Sky Sports). For a club to endure that and survive in the Premier League is absurd, yet Porro managed to play 3,923 out of 4,689 total minutes. His availability alone deserves applause, making him one of the few bright spots in a forgettable domestic season.
While the Premier League campaign was a valley low, the summer brought a mountain high. The contrast between Spurs' 2025–26 campaign and Spain's 2026 World Cup run was night and day. La Roja dominated the tournament across North America, conceding just a single goal in eight matches en route to their first World Cup title since 2010. And one of the stars of that squad? Pedro Porro. He scored his first two international goals during the knockout rounds and stood out as one of the best right-backs in the tournament. His 8.04 average FotMob rating ranked him as the fifth-highest player in the entire world (ahead of Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, tournament MVP Rodri, and Cristiano Ronaldo). He earned Man of the Match honors in the semifinal win over France and was named to the Team of the Tournament.
Standing Among the Greats: Who is Tottenham Hotspur FC's best right-back of the Premier League era? The answer may still be Kyle Walker, and if that's your stance, you aren't wrong. But it's time to strongly consider Pedro Porro in that conversation. Porro has extended his contract in North London through 2031. If the Roberto De Zerbi era kicks off as hoped, Porro may well be wearing lilywhite the next time Spurs lift a trophy. Should he maintain his current durability over the length of his new contract, he will find himself near the top of the all-time appearance list for Spurs in the Premier League era. If those pieces fall into place, the claim that Pedro Porro is the best right-back in the club's modern history won't require much arguing at all!
