According to Italian media, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte tried to sign Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella during the summer.
Fabio Paratici and the Spurs’ hierarchy were instrumental in orchestrating a major summer revamp at Hotspur Way during Conte’s exciting and optimistic reign.
Spurs confirmed the signings of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence, and Destiny Udogie, while the club also completed a permanent deal for Cristian Romero following his successful loan spell.
And Spurs also managed to get rid of some questionable deadwood, with Steven Bergwijn, Joe Rodon, Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Sergio Reguilon, and Harry Winks all leaving on loan or permanently.
However, a new report claims that the Italians attempted another major coup in the summer. According to Corriere dello Sport (via L’Interista), Conte pursued midfielder Barella from his former club Inter, with Spurs even making contact in the form of an enquiry.
But, having already lost winger Ivan Perisic to their former manager, the Nerazzurri ‘immediately’ halted any attempt to sign the Italy international.
According to reports, Inter value the Italy international at up to £100 million, so convincing them to let him go for a lower price would have been almost an impossible task for Paratici.
The midfielder adored by Klopp and described as ‘world class‘ by former Azzurri national team coach Marcello Lippi, would have undoubtedly added some real quality to the Spurs midfield.
I’m not talking about January, it was supposed to be the transformative ‘war-chest’ window. We’ve got some much needed depth, but not much else…
Lenglet will be rotated with Davies.
Bissouma will need to get in ahead of three others if you include Skipp. I’m sure he’ll play but first choice I’m not convinced.
Spence might play some minutes, especially when the cups kick in.
Like I say, beyond Richarlison and Perisic there’s nobody we’ve brought in that obviously is an upgrade on what was there. Even an in form Sonny and Kulusevski keep Richarlison out…
Which five are going to be staring 11 picks?
Spence will take Royal’s place? Bissouma PEH’s? On what basis, we also have Skipp who Conte trusts.
Lenglet will probably be rotated within the back three at best.
I’m afraid that there are two that get in the side and that’s Richarlison and the 33 year old Perisic. All the rest will hit rotation at best this season…
What club hasn’t in the top 4? See post below by Kure.
Just keeping up surely doesn’t constitute any huge change does it?
Who gets in the first 11, apart from the 33 year old Peresic and Kane’s replacement Richarlison?
I’m sure these hacks will go on about Utd, they always do even if it defies logic…
4th on that table (West Ham third). Sixth if you look at net spend.
But we need another January like last January – two top quality signings in.
A creative forward and a central defender, unless the RWB position proves a disaster in which case that moves to the top priority position
Lenglet, Perisic, Richy and Bissouma I’d all expect to be first picks soon…plus that RWB is wide open if Spence does live up to the hype.
I’m saying few teams change the entire starting 11 in a January and Summer window – we’ve changed 4, 5 maybe 6 players in the starting 11 in two windows…probably more like 6 or 7 in the last three windows. That’s about the maximum amount of change you’d want.
what are we comparing it to? The year we signed nobody at all? The summer of Gareth Bale’s loan to us, PEH, Stevie B? Only two of these new signings even make it into the starting 11, so hardly huge changes. Or have I missed something again?
Seven players in? Nearly the same out? Four, maybe five, will be best starting 11 picks this season – that’s half the outfield side!
Plus the two in January – it’s near enough a brand new side barring Son, Kane, Lloris, Dier and Hojbjerg. Romero and Royal only have a season behind them too.
You wanted a Forest twenty new players merry go round? One more signing would have been perfect, prob a central defender or creative forward.
I thought we were a close third in the PL spend league this summer :/
The manager got backed, if they got the wrong players then that’s another matter but they spent coin.
So United it is then
Exactly.
Perhaps, but my own take on last season’s fiasco “negotiations” with City over Kane is that he won’t be going there and Haaland is now their main man and is seven years younger.
Can’t see him going to Liverpool or Citeh, especially the latter with their new striker already in place, Liverpool might well be hitting a transitional phase, especially if Klopp leaves. He wants a club ready to deliver, he’s waited long enough already…
It’s possible that Kane is being lined up in a bidding war between Bayern and Real. I really can’t see who takes him in the Premiership, or who realistically gets a deal done with the bald guy too. I think he’s off abroad, to club where he’s guaranteed league titles and a decent crack at winning the Champions League. That’s never happening at ENIC FC…
I think Harry will leave but he’ll stay in the Prem. How would it look if the England captain moved overseas? Plus he wants to break Shearer’s record.
Most likely destinations where he can finally win something and get paid are Liverpool Utd City in that order. As much as Harry hates Levy he’ll never play for Arse or Chelsea.
I agree with ES below that Kane will go at the end of the season. RM have the money and as I have mentioned before, they have room for an another overseas player since Vinicius Jr got his Spanish nationality and Benzema is thirty four. Judging by all the comments coming out from Germany, I can’t believe that there’s no smoke without fire. Bayern haven’t replaced Lewandowski and there are mutterings amongst the supporters and the players against Nagelsmann. All this talk of a revamp is pie in the sky. We have not addressed the problem areas such as RB/WB, CB and AM and all these leaks that we were in for Barella and Zaha right at the end of the window are nothing more than an Enic smokescreen. I just wonder if Son’s days at Spurs are numbered as well as Kane’s?
I think we should remember that it’s fairly obvious Richarlison is just Kane’s replacement. I think Kane will leave this summer, there’s no way Levy pays 45m for a forward with the other’s we currently have on our books too.
There has been no ‘revamp’ there has been no ‘backing’ of Conte particularly. this is just the same level of ‘second tier’ transfer activity that we normally see from ENIC. Paratici and Conte are the nice, fancy window dressing, but it’s just the same old sh*t…
Which is the reason why we don’t win anything…
Officially approached, oh my days. Who needs serious offers, negotiations, and completion anymore.
I sent an email to the representatives of Ana de Armas for a possible transfer to the CzechSpur household, but nothing doing. Well, at least there was an official approach!
For us, it’s as close to a revamp as we’re ever likely to get.
It’s all become rather tedious, hearing the same nonsense for over 20 years…
‘a major summer revamp at Hotspur Way’
I’m sorry, did I miss something? 🤔
Yep
Dysfunction generally comes from the top.
They think we are idiots.
23 years and counting. He’s a truly uninspiring leader. No wonder the team regularly go missing as it’s clear the on-pitch stuff isn’t a priority for our top brass.
Absolutely spot on.
This is a typical piece of Enic spin. It is more than coincidence that there is always some story after the window has closed that we made a last minute for someone unattainable. There was also a rumour that we made a last minute offer for Zaha. Top clubs identify their targets in a timely fashion and get the deal over the line in goodtime, thereby excluding themselves from a bidding process and allowing the selling club enough time to find a replacement. Although it would be fair to sat that we did make some signings earlier in the window than normal, the dead hand of Levy was evident in the length of time it took to sign Spence. I am sick of hearing the nonsensical mantra that when it comes to the transfer market that we are different to other clubs. We are only different to other clubs when it comes to our ambition in winning silverware but that’s what happens when you are a property empire first and football comes a distinct second in our ambitions.
Yet another failed attempt… “it’s important to be in the race for important players” said Paratici after the Diaz debacle. No it isn’t, there is no such thing as a race, there’s just a deal to be done abd if you want that player you get it done.
Trying to draw out negotiations to save a few quid, messing people about etc is not being in a ‘race’. It’s the equivalent of ‘tyre-kicking ‘when buying a second hand car. Used to see ads in the papers; ‘no time wasters, no tyre kickers please’.
Levy is the biggest tyre-kicker in football…
Another “yeah, but we tried” PR story leaked by ENIC?
£100m you’re ‘avin a larf