CONTE LOOKS AT WINDOW
Tottenham gaffer wants major changes but Harry Winks will be going nowhere
ANTONIO Conte says there will be changes at Tottenham now the transfer window is open.
But one player who won’t be going anywhere is Harry Winks, who has revitalised his career under the Italian.
The England midfielder fell right down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho and things weren’t much better under Nuno Espirito Santo’s brief reign in north London.
Conte wants to beef up his squad but has been impressed with Winks since he arrived at the club.
He has started three of Spurs’ past six league games and has been showing the form that earned him Three Lions caps.
Conte said: “Winksy showed to be a reliable player. Winks will stay here. Winksy showed that I can count on him.”
It doesn’t look quite so rosy for a player who was one of Mourinho’s favourites but is not flavour of the month with the Italian.
Tanguy Ndombele is one of the players Conte is willing to move on this month if a reasonable offer comes in.
The Spurs boss hinted that the French international is not fitting into the way he wants to play.
Conte said: “I pay the same attention in every single session to every player.
“My concentration is not only on 12, 13, 14 players, but the full squad. There are players that understand very well, others they need more time or for others it could be difficult to understand.”
When it comes to Ndombele’s future, Conte added: “I think it’s better for me and the club to speak together and then we’ll have the situation more clear than now.
“To speak about a player that can come or go, now it’s not right, it’s not honest.”
Conte is doing his best to persuade club captain Hugo Lloris to sign a new contract.
The French international goalie is now in the final six months of his contract and is free to sign an agreement with an overseas side.
Budget
Conte said: “Hugo is a Tottenham player, the captain.
“For sure he will talk with the club to try to find a solution.
“I think that he wants to stay. He loves this club. This could be his opinion.”
The Italian was surely promised a decent transfer budget or he wouldn’t have taken the job.
And he has made no secret that he is not happy with the options he can put on the pitch.
Conte said: “For sure we need to improve the quality of this squad. I was sure after seven days, 10 days about this. And then I make the evaluation on the players I can count on.
“This squad needs to improve before thinking about a place in the Champions League.
“The league’s level is very high. Now you are in the middle, you have to think to be something important, for this reason I ask for patience and time, because in this time the gap is very large.
“We need to work a lot and try to build and improve the quality of our squad.
“I made evaluations to understand which players I could count on and which players I can’t.
“For sure, the squad needs to improve in quality but in an
important way. We’re in the middle and we have to think to build something important.
“For this reason, I ask for patience and time because now the gap is very large and we need to work a lot, and also to try to build. And also improve the quality of the squad.”
There’s a list of targets a mile long that Tottenham are being linked with in the next few weeks.
Favourite
Southampton midfielder James Ward- Prowse has caught Conte’s eye and reports in Italy suggest the Londoners may make a move for Fiorentina hitman Dusan Vlahovic.
He has banged in an impressive 16 goals in 19 gales for Fiorentina this season.
The Italians are looking for at least £ 50m but Spurs may act to head off other clubs in the summer.
And if he carries on scoring, that fee could only get higher.
Spurs are right in the race for a top- four spot with the likes of north London rivals Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United and Leicester.
Conte reckons he needs one of them to falter for his team to earn a Champions League place for next season.
He added: “I don’t know which team is the favourite to finish in the top four.
“For sure, on paper there are four teams very strong with good squads.
“Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool.
“These are the four top teams, they have to fail to find a place in the Champions League.
“We have to be very good, because there’s Arsenal, West Ham, Leicester, Everton – many good teams. You have to hope the others fail and be good to perform.”