Antonio Conte hinted he does not expect Tottenham to make significant moves in the January transfer window after the size of the job ahead of him was re-emphasised by defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
One of Spurs’ most likely hopes of a trophy in Conte’s first season is slipping from their grasp after two self-inflicted first half goals left them with a mountain to climb in the second leg.
“If we think that with the transfer window in January will solve the situation, I’m telling you a lie, not the truth,” said the Spurs boss after the 2-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge. “First of all, in January it’s very very difficult to buy. Then you have to see if there is the possibility to buy players that you need. We have to continue to work in the way we are doing – to work hard.
“If there is some opportunities and the club is convinced of this opportunity to improve the team – yeah. But I repeat, I don’t see in the transfer window the resolution of our problem. The resolution of our problem now is to work and to improve on many aspects of our squad – because, I repeat, there are a lot of jobs to do.”
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Perhaps Conte’s most telling comment came in his comparisons with Chelsea, his former club who dealt him an unhappy return to west London. Pressed on Spurs’ mentality, given the peculiar manner of the two goals they conceded, he was keen to stress that his side could not reasonably be expected to compete with the Premier League’s very top sides when “the level of Tottenham has dropped” so significantly in the last two-and-a-half years.
“There is not only a problem on mentality. Chelsea last season won the Champions League – this season they invested much money to improve the team,” he added. “I think this is enough to understand the difference in this moment between us and them. We need so much time to rebuild the situation. You can’t rebuild the situation in only six months or one year.”
That reaffirmed that Spurs do not intend to break with their long-standing approach to the market. Conte has been involved in big-spending projects in the past, and his appointment might have been construed as a sign that Spurs were ready to back him heavily. However, the same was said of Jose Mourinho – and Daniel Levy was not induced into a spending spree then.
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Levy’s task is made particularly difficult by the fact that the profile of players Spurs would like to sign are in short supply. Often, they have looked to those on the fringes of Europe’s super-clubs – Lucas Moura at PSG, Emerson Royal at Barcelona, or players between 22-24 on the rise like Tanguy Ndombele or Steven Bergwijn.
But with clubs struggling to fulfil fixtures due to Covid as it is, some are reluctant to cut down on squad numbers. So Conte is reluctant to publicly butt heads with his chairman, regardless of what his expectations may be behind the scenes.
For some fans, it will not wash if Levy refuses to back one of the most successful managers in the world once again.
At any rate, the glaring issues which were once again exposed on a chaotic evening at Chelsea were widespread and it would not be feasible for Spurs to fix them all in what remains of the January window.
Spurs have a handful of players who fit into the “like a new signing” category – they have not yet had the full benefit of Cristian Romero at centre-back, nor have they seen Bryan Gil light up English football as he did La Liga. But whether transfers are the answer are not, Conte will have at least identified a number of areas which are in need of improvement.
Four priorities
Right-back – Kieran Trippier would have been an upgrade, but it is unsurprising Spurs did not try and beat Newcastle to the nouveau riche’s first major signing since the takeover. When the England international left in 2019, there was an understanding that he was keen to move on from north London and is now keen to live closer to his family.
Is there a quick fix in January? Probably not. Dissatisfied with Serge Aurier, Mourinho turned to Matt Doherty. When he failed to replicate his form at Wolves, Emerson Royal followed. The former Barcelona full-back has struggled with his positioning, there are serious question marks over his final ball, and once again has failed to substantially improve the defence.
Forward – Reports in the Netherlands continue to link Steven Bergwijn with a return to the Eredivisie, having scored just four goals for Spurs. As it stands, as Son Heung-min continues to struggle there is no real competition for him out wide. Likewise, barring a short burst of goals in December, Harry Kane still looks overburdened but in the absence of another senior striker, he has featured in almost all of even the most menial cup ties.
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Playmaker – Kane once benefited from Dele Alli being at the height of his powers but with little sign of a revival under Conte, and with Giovani Lo Celso looking another poor bit of business in his bid to replace Christian Eriksen, it’s little wonder Spurs are still going entire halves without registering an attempt on target.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3q1hyzd
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