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Chris Waddle says £85k-a-week Tottenham player really ‘struggled’ against Newcastle

Milo Clay

Mon 24 April 2023 11:15, UK

Chris Waddle was left unimpressed with Pedro Porro after Tottenham Hotspur were thrashed 6-1 by Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs found themselves 5-0 down inside the opening 21 minutes of the game after some disastrous defending yesterday.

Cristian Stellini decided to switch to a back-four following a disappointing result against Bournemouth last weekend, but it’s fair to say that it completely backfired.

Of course, Pedro Porro was brought in from Sporting Lisbon in January to play as a wing-back under Antonio Conte, with the move set to be made permanent for in the summer.

The Spaniard really struggled while playing as a full-back yesterday as his defensive weaknesses were exploited by Newcastle’s frontline.

And Tottenham legend, Chris Waddle, highlighted the 23-year-old’s shaky display on .

Waddle says Porro ‘struggled’ against Newcastle

Waddle criticised Tottenham’s recruitment in comparison to Newcastle’s after the game and singled out Porro.

“Pedro Porro has struggled today,” the Spurs legend said. “Tottenham have signed a lot players and it hasn’t worked out for them, whereas Newcastle’s recent recruitment has been really good.”

Porro has got off to a shaky start to his Tottenham career and it’s clear he has plenty of work to do on the defensive side of his game.

The £85,000-a-week man has shown glimpses of his quality in the final third, but he doesn’t seem suited to playing in a back-four, especially off the back of his display at St James’ Park.

Tottenham have been heavily criticised for their recruitment over the past few years due to some high-profile blunders in the transfer market.

There will be concerns amongst the Tottenham faithful that Porro could become another name on that long list, but it’s still early days.

He will certainly need more time to adjust to English football and possibly the prospect of playing in a back-four, depending on the new manager.

While Porro’s display was far from convincing at Newcastle, he certainly wasn’t alone as the whole Tottenham backline put in shaky performances.