Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte prepares ‘three-man defensive wishlist’ for the summer
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has drawn up a three-man shortlist for potential defenders he can sign in the summer in an attempt to reinforce his squad ahead of the new campaign.
The backline has been a cause of concern for the Italian, as the side were prone to leaking goals and looking shaky at times when threatened by some of the Premier League’s best forwards. For a club of Spurs’ stature, this simply cannot be the case.
Moreover, for every manager to truly implement his philosophy and ideas onto a squad, it helps if he has players of his choice playing in positions he wants them to play in. January gave Conte a chance to bring in some new faces of his choice, but the summer window offers him another chance to truly stamp his identity onto this Spurs team.
Despite the club signing Cristian Romero last summer, we arguably need more quality at the back given the departures of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in back-to-back summers. To add to that, Conte has enforced a formation that utilizes three centre-backs, further underlining the need for depth in that area of the pitch.
Summer wishlist for Conte
Spurs are said to have targeted Lille centre-back Sven Botman, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni, and RB Leipzig starlet Josko Gvardiol in the summer. The club’s attempt to get Botman may not be that easy, considering that there are several other clubs also interested in him and are expected to join the race.
Bastoni, meanwhile, is someone Conte is very familiar with, having worked with the player during his time with Inter Milan. The duo led the club to a Serie A title last season, and Bastoni was a regular in Conte’s team.
In Gvardiol, Spurs have a 20-year-old defender who has stepped in very well for RB Leipzig after the club lost Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate to Bayern Munich and Liverpool respectively.
The winter transfer window saw the Lilywhites snap up a winger and a midfielder in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. It now seems like it is time to pay a bit of attention to the backline as well, with Spurs apparently after three young central defenders.
With the right tools, the Spurs boss is capable of winning trophies, as evidenced in his previous managerial roles. If he desires a player in the aforementioned list, then our board would be smart to back the man and bring the defender to N17.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
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- Yannick Carrasco rejected the chance to join Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window
Spurs fans will also hope that the club learns from their mistakes in January, after missing out on Adama Traore and Luis Diaz in the eleventh hour. It left us disappointed with the club’s efforts and was embarrassing to see other clubs steal our transfer targets from under our noses.
The summer gives us a chance for fresh hope and excitement to see what the club can deliver. The likes of Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez, and Japhet Tanganga have done a decent job, but one wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that Spurs could benefit by upgrading on at least one of them in their backline.