Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has revealed that he was left disappointed by the club’s transfer business in January, and even conceded that his side may well have gotten weaker on paper.
Spurs chased deals for Adama Traore, Luis Diaz and Sofyan Amrabat, but ended up landing none of the trio, with Traore and Diaz joining Barcelona and Liverpool respectively.
While Tottenham did clinch deadline day deals for Juventus pair Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, their business was reminiscent of a dash to the bargain bin in a supermarket rather than any significant planning on the side of the Lilywhites.
And for Conte, it was not enough.
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Conte slams Tottenham
Facing the media ahead of his side’s clash with Manchester City at the weekend, he told Sky Sports:
However, with the two that arrived, Conte was more than happy.
”Bentancur and Kulusevski are the ideal prospect for Tottenham”, the Italian enthused. ”Because Tottenham is looking for young players, players to be developed, not ready players.”
Conte is not normally one for developing players, preferring to sign ready made first team options, and has already seemingly had to compromise on his preconceptions of Tottenham.
‘‘I have realised now this is the vision of the club”, he told Sky.
As a result, Conte puts the chances of Tottenham clinching 4th place in the Premier League at just 1%, adding that the teams around them, including Aston Villa, Brighton and Newcastle, are all continuing to improve.
NEW: Antonio Conte believes #thfc face a very difficult task in finishing in the top four this season. | @beINSPORTS_EN pic.twitter.com/bzWibDpedy
— Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) February 16, 2022
It is not the first time, or likely the last, that Conte has hung his side and club out to dry, with it still unclear just how long he will be willing to put up with not getting his own way.
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