Tottenham Hotspur have a clearly defined way of playing under Antonio Conte, with the Italian a devout user of a three-at-the-back regime.

He utilised it to great effect to win the Premier League title with Chelsea, and then again to win Serie A with Inter Milan.

However, it seems like he is struggling to have the same transformative effect in north London, where he is yet to see huge progress despite having been in the job for well over a year now.

The 53-year-old has persisted with his formation and looked set to have secured an integral long-term star for right wing-back when he acquired Djed Spence in the summer.

However, with a surprising lack of game time, rumours have now begun suggesting the Lilywhites will once again enter the market for a full-back.

It seems that their dream man will be Pedro Porro, who has announced himself as one of Europe's best attacking full-backs for Sporting Lisbon.

In fact, earlier this week it was reported that sporting director Fabio Paratici was just €11m short of the Spanish wing-back's €45m (£40m) release clause that the Portuguese outfit are adamant must be met.

Regardless, progress seems to be being made.

Whilst Emerson Royal has his critics, his goal against Manchester City in midweek outlined exactly why he remains an asset to the club.

This is instead a deal that will likely spell the end of Matt Doherty's career at Spurs, who has seen his play time dwindle. The Irish defender - who cost £15m under ex-boss Jose Mourinho - has just seven starts to his name this season and has hardly impressed when handed minutes.

The 31-year-old hardly poses an offensive threat anymore either, with just one goal and no assists whilst making 0.5 key passes per game, a poor return, via Sofascore.

Meanwhile, his potential successor already has 12 goal contributions this season and seems poised to obliterate his five goals and seven assists in all competitions from the campaign prior.

His attacking exploits have seen him lauded as a "special talent" by journalist Zach Lowy, to which Fabrizio Romano claimed he would be "perfect" for Spurs.

This is exacerbated in his underlying statistics, as when compared to other fullbacks in Europe he ranks in the top 1% for total shots, assists and touches in the attacking penalty area.

There are few that would fit the mould of a Conte player as perfectly as Porro, and his arrival would likely be majestic. However, Doherty would feel slightly aggrieved, as his time at the club would be forcefully drawn to a close.