The January transfer window has come and gone. Tottenham Hotspur made plenty of moves as there were arrivals and departures for the north London club.
Spurs saw more players exit with Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli, Bryan Gil, and Giovani Lo Celso all finding new clubs last month. However, the Premier League club did bring in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
However, manager Antonio Conte has an issue with four players who featured in his rotation and only brought in two players to replace them. Conte says it was a problematic window for Tottenham but understands the club’s focus is finding and developing young players.
“Two came in, so in numerical terms, instead of strengthening, on paper, the squad was weakened,” Conte said in an interview with Sky Italy. “Bentancur and Kulusevski are ideal prospects for Tottenham because the club is after young players who can improve and develop, rather than players who are the finished article. That’s the story here.
“That’s the link. That’s the club’s vision and philosophy. It’s inevitable that if you want to improve faster and want to be competitive faster, you need more experienced players because they boost the experience levels among the team. As I’ve said, I understood that was the club’s vision here.”
Tottenham will have to commit to making significant investments that satisfy Conte, who demands a lot from the clubs he has worked for in the past.
Furthermore, if the Italian tactician doesn’t see things going the way he wants, the 52-year-old isn’t afraid to leave, as he showed last summer when Inter Milan wanted to cut back spending.
Past the summer? 🤔
Weakened then. Never understood the notion that it was a ‘good’ window. Less bodies, is Kulu any better than LoCelso at this particular moment, for example? Zero net spend, zero improvement.
It’s as if Levy is being deliberately spiteful towards the fans and as if deliberately dismissive of their concerns over the progress of the team. He clearly loves being the puppet master and could not give a crap about what anyone thinks…
Another wish list of players that will never happen sadly.
“the club is after young players who can improve and develop”
this statement is mind blowing and smacks of no change in direction at all but who is “the club”
Is it Pinhead or Paratici or Pinhead directing Paratici?
Someone on here often posts “a leopard/spots” and I have ignored in the past but this seems to prove it.
Jeez I am actually shocked at this but thanks for your honesty Tonio.
City have Foden, Grealish, Silva, Gundogan, DeBruyne (and probably a few others in the squad) as attacking/creative midfielders, Man Utd have Fernandes, Pogba, Lingard, Mata, Lingard. Even Aston Villa have Coutinho now, the list goes on.
Look at the creativity other top teams have and then look at our creative midfielders, I don’t know the first thing about managing a professional football team but I certainly wouldn’t set my Football Manager squad up without any creativity in midfield at the start of a season.
Conte’s plan is to have 2 or 3 bullies in central midfield and then have creativity from the wingbacks who basically play as midfielders, our wingbacks don’t create or score and can’t defend or even pass to our other players apparently…and people still expect us to get top 4?
Two wingbacks minimum in the summer along with one or two new CB’s and a creative midfielder….then we might have a shot at top 4 or a trophy. Oh and a backup/2nd striker and a new backup keeper too…what a complete mess Levy and co. have made of this football team.
He’s definitely gone. Can’t say I blame him
His remarks really don’t promote confidence he is happy in his relationship with Levy, and will stay past the summer. However… surely he sanctioned the release of the 4 and it’s more the ‘incoming replacements’ he was not so happy about?