Perhaps the most striking aspect of Antonio Conte’s impressive start at Tottenham has been the performances he has managed to coax out of those previously on the fringes of the squad.
Ben Davies has established himself as a key member of the side at left centre-back, while Harry Winks, Dele Alli and most recently, Steven Bergwijn, have all offered reminders of their qualities in matches against Liverpool and West Ham.
In the club’s post-Champions League-final haze, there has often been a perception that this is a Spurs squad that is better, or at least more talented, than it was showing on the pitch. Good players don’t become bad ones overnight and it is clear that Conte’s coaching and aura have had a positive impact.
But while the Italian undoubtedly has plenty of quality to work with, there are areas of his squad that would benefit from reinforcements if Spurs are to achieve their target of finishing in the top four of the Premier League, an effort that may have been boosted by Uefa’s decision to dump Spurs out of the Europa Conference League.
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Eric Dier has been largely excellent in a sweeper role during Conte’s short time in charge, while the left-footed Davies has added a nice balance to the back three. The club’s best central defender Cristian Romero hasn’t been too badly missed during his injury-enforced absence so far.
Nevertheless, Conte is believed to be eager to add another centre-back to his ranks. A top-class, left-footed centre back, or at least a right-footer accustomed to playing on the left would be preferable. Davies has done well, but he is unlikely to be the long-term solution in that role.
AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli has been tentatively linked, as has Milan Skriniar who won the Serie A title under Conte with Inter last season. Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck is another player that has been attracting admiring glances from big clubs across Europe thanks to his form this season.
Conte is also after an attack-minded right-back, according to various reports. Spurs bought Emerson Royal for £25.8m from Barcelona at the end of the summer window, but the Brazilian hasn’t provided a single goal or assist so far in 11 Premier League outings. In contrast, Achraf Hakimi managed seven goals and eight assists for Conte’s Inter last season and while the now-PSG man is unattainable, a player of that ilk would be welcomed.
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And as ever with Tottenham, a new striker features on the shortlist. Spurs have struggled to find suitable competition for Harry Kane down the years, with Vincent Janssen, Fernando Llorente and Carlos Vinicius having mixed success.
Spurs are one of a whole host of clubs to be linked with Fiorentina’s free-scoring Serbian Dusan Vlahovic, who has 18 months remaining on his contract. Conte’s shift to a 3-5-2 worked well against Liverpool, but besides Kane and Son Heung-min, he doesn’t have many options for the front two positions.
Who could leave Spurs?
It had looked as though this might be the transfer window in which Dele Alli finally found a new club following a disappointing couple of years. However, Conte was impressed with his performance in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool and time will tell whether that will prove to be a turning point in his Spurs career.
The same could be said of Harry Winks who was named the supporters’ man of the match. “I think he’s a really good player,” Conte said afterwards. “He impressed me in training sessions with his commitment, his will, his desire.” Conte suddenly has an abundance of central midfield players to pick from, with Tanguy Ndombele also catching the eye against Liverpool.
Steven Bergwijn is another who might just have injected some life into his faltering Spurs career after scoring a goal and providing an assist against West Ham. The Dutchman looked noticably more confident after impacting the game and may now remain at Spurs after previously being linked with a loan move to Ajax.
Tottenham’s desire to add a right-back to the squad could spell the end of Matt Doherty‘s time in north London. The Irishman hasn’t started a single Premier League game this season, falling behind both Emerson and Japhet Tanganga in the pecking order.
Summer signing from Sevilla Bryan Gil has also been on the periphery of the action so far and has been linked with a loan move back to Spain, with Real Sociedad and Cadiz reported to be interested. Wales centre-back Joe Rodon is another who may depart on loan with Watford and Newcastle potential destinations.
Contract concerns
The big contract news as far as Tottenham is concerned is regarding their long-serving club captain Hugo Lloris. The French World Cup winner is due a testimonial at the end of the campaign after joining the club from Lyon back in 2012.
Now 35, Lloris is entering the final six months of his deal and as of yet, no extension has been agreed, meaning he is free to discuss a pre-contract move with a club outside England from 1 January. The Athletic reported earlier this month that discussions between Spurs and Lloris’ representatives have taken place over the past couple of months.
Harry Kane’s contract was subject to intense scrutiny last summer as he made clear his desire to leave and take on a new challenge elsewhere. The England captain still has two-and-a-half years left to run on his deal and next summer likely represents the last big opportunity for the club to cash in unless he decides to commit long-term.
Who could Spurs sign?
As reported by i earlier this month, Tottenham have emerged as the frontrunners to sign the highly-rated midfielder Mattias Svanberg from Bologna. The 22-year-old Sweden international has scored three goals and registered two assists in Serie A this season. Manchester City are also credited with an interest.
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The arrival of Conte in November and managing director of football Fabio Paratici in the summer has resulted in Spurs being linked with a host of players from Serie A. Aside from Svanberg, AC Milan’s Franck Kessie and Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic, have been rumoured as central midfield targets. The pair are out of contract at the end of the season. Juventus’ Weston McKennie has also been mentioned as a player of interest.
Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic looks likely to be on the move in January and Tottenham have been credited with an interest in him, according to The Times. The problem is so have Arsenal, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, PSG and Manchester City, among others.
In defence, Romagnoli, Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij are all rumoured to be targets.
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