Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte reveals the one area where Ryan Sessegnon needs improvement
Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has conveyed the one area where Ryan Sessegnon needs improvement to achieve his full potential. The wing-back has enjoyed quite an uprise under the boss so far and seems to be finally in line to meet the expectations in which he was signed initially.
Sessegnon was brought in from Fulham for a fee of £25million in transfer fees back in 2019. However, despite showing promise, he was often injured, with his hamstring troubling him on several occasions. However, the defender has shown signs of progress under Conte, which has instilled hope in the fans that he could still be a success in the future.
Speaking in the pre-match presser ahead of the game vs Arsenal (h/t Football.London), the Tottenham coach has admitted that the English defender has shown great potential so far. However, the manager believes Sessegnon can reach newer heights if he can work on improving his final delivery moving forward.
Can Sessegnon continue this progress?
“Ryan is a player that has great potential. Physically he is really strong and it’s very difficult to beat him in one v one. Defensively he has reached an important level because he showed great attention during the game. In every game, he has showed this, for sure he has to improve when we have the ball because for me wing-backs are very important. Against Liverpool, we had situations where the last pass, if we….I think we can improve in this aspect.”
The Spurs boss continued by expressing that the 21-year-old is still young and his recent impressive displays would undoubtedly have instilled confidence in himself. Finally, he added how the left wing-back has overcome his regular plight with injuries and continued to strive forward despite the obstacles.
“We are talking about a young player with a great space for improvement. In the past injury has stopped his growth but now he is in good form and playing really well.”
Sessegnon’s impressive form helped him to pip Sergio Reguilon to the starting spot before an injury stopped his progress. The former has returned to contention recently and dropped another fine performance against a top side like Liverpool.
However, as the 52-year-old coach has mentioned, the former Fulham man could work on his ability to play final balls in the attacking third of the pitch. That has been an issue that has plagued Reguilon as well, although Sessegnon has shown signs of improvements in his performances.
It is pretty clear how Conte depends on his wing-backs to provide width while being an option in the attacking phase. Moreover, he also needs them to be technically astute with their crossing to take advantage of Harry Kane’s excellent heading skills in the centre when needed.
At the same time, the wing-backs also must be reliable enough to consistently find their teammates through cut-backs and balls into the box to create opportunities. We all know how Achraf Hakimi was turned into a beast at Inter Milan by the boss, and there is no reason to believe that he could repeat the same with Sessegnon.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
- Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg close to Tottenham Hotspur exit amidst Newcastle United interest
- Tottenham Hotspur are increasingly confident about Harry Kane stay following Erling Haaland update
- Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur could extend loan deal for Atalanta star Pierluigi Gollini
However, the Tottenham star must follow Conte’s instructions and make appropriate changes to raise his game to the next level. Whether Sessegnon can achieve that or not remains to be seen.
But if he does, he could be a youngster who can man our left flank for the near future and beyond. There is nothing better than seeing a young talent rise to the top all while playing for your club. Harry Kane is the perfect example of it and Sessegnon should look to replicate that.
