MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham announced a £150million capital increase this week, with reports stating that Antonio Conte would be given the large majority of this sum for transfers.
The Italian has pressured the Spurs board by insisting that an overhaul of the squad is needed in order to compete for titles in numerous interviews — and securing a top-four finish was a timely boost.
We take a look at the positions and players the North London club will be targeting this summer as it appears Conte’s wish of financial backing has been granted by chairman Daniel Levy.
Goalkeeper
Spurs have reportedly signed Fraser Forster, 34, from Southampton on a free transfer as a back-up for Hugo Lloris with loanee Pierluigi Gollini set to return to parent club Atalanta.
Centre back
Conte will be after central and left-sided centre-backs this summer to deploy in his 3-5-2 setup.
The club have been strongly linked with Inter star Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, who are both young, bursting with potential and can slot in on the left of a three.
The arrival of Bastoni, 23, would echo the signing of Cristian Romero from Atalanta last summer.
Romero has rapidly become a fan favourite in North London and displays a similar playing style — both are aggressive, composed and can pick a progressive pass.
Gvardiol, 20, has also attracted attention from Chelsea, but at his age it remains unknown whether Conte would prefer nurturing his talent or opting for the more experienced Bastoni.
Serie A defender of the season Gleison Bremer is one of Spurs’ top targets for the central position in the back three.
Bremer, 25, was in the heart of the Torino defence that conceded the fewest goals of any Serie A team that finished outside of the top four and his strengths lay in his aerial ability and making interceptions.
Wing-backs
Wing-backs are an important cog in Conte’s system, as demonstrated in his set-ups at Chelsea and Inter.
Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon are both thought to not be in Conte’s plans, while Ryan Sessegnon has certainly improved but may not match the calibre of player that the Italian needs to challenge for titles, although he remains a good back-up option.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s 29-year-old wing-back Filip Kostic, who is reportedly available for only £12million with a year left on his contract, is rumoured to be on Tottenham’s radar.
Other options include versatile and two-footed Ivan Perisic, who thrived on the left flank under Conte at Inter, and Brighton Player of the Season Marc Cucurella.
Central midfield
Spurs will look at signing another central midfielder despite January signing Rodrigo Bentancur’s brilliant performances and young star Oliver Skipp’s impending return from injury.
Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is on their radar, while Harry Winks looks set for an exit.
The Serbian has thrived in Serie A this season, bagging 11 goals and providing 11 assists and has the ability to control the tempo of the game.
Spurs are also lacking a creative midfielder to play further up the pitch and open up defences that sit back against them, wary of their counter-attacking nature.
They have not been able to replace Christian Eriksen as £40m Giovani Lo Celso and record £55m signing Tanguy Ndombele have failed to impress.
Tottenham’s lack of creativity in midfield had been evident before the arrivals of Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in January, particularly when they became the first top-flight team to go six straight halves without registering a shot on target since Opta started recording the stat.
Levy did not want to let Erisken leave to Conte’s Inter in 2020 but the Danish maestro was keen for a new challenge and has since returned back to his best during his loan at Brentford.
Eriksen, 30, revealed last month that he is “still a Spurs fan” and will be available on a free transfer while his wage demands will not be high, pointing at a potential return to North London.
Winger/ forward
It is likely that the Lilywhites will pursue either a winger or striker this summer, with the club yet to have signed a long-term back-up Harry Kane.
Steven Bergwijn has been linked with a move to Ajax after a move was blocked in January, while Lucas Moura struggled for consistency and youngster Bryan Gil could be loaned out again.
Spurs are rumoured to be battling it out with rivals Arsenal for Gabriel Jesus, who tends to drift out wide and could be the perfect addition having chipped in with 13 goals and nine assists this season.
Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku are thought to be targets, with the former the most realistic option of the two as Nkunku’s fee is perhaps too far out of Spurs’ budget for this position.
A new era
It is time for fans to get excited about what is to come under Conte after he managed to vastly improve the team in a matter of months.
With the influx of Champions League money, alongside TV revenue and transfer outgoings on top of the £150m injection of cash, any doubts that the tactician would not be backed have evaporated.
The Italian described his side’s top-four finish as like “winning a title” — but his ambitions to win silverware next season make this summer a potential watershed moment in the club’s history.
