Football

Five players Antonio Conte could sign as Spurs manager

November 2, 2021 12:17 pm

It’s a done deal. Antonio Conte is officially the new Spurs manager.

He has had huge success in England and abroad throughout his career. Most recently, the Italian led Inter Milan to their first Serie A title in 11 years. And at Chelsea, he lifted the Premier League and the FA Cup in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively.

A lot of media talk has since focused on which players the new Tottenham Hotspur boss could bring in. Unsurprisingly, a raid on the Serie A is on the cards.

Here are five players Conte could sign for Spurs:

Matthijs de Ligt

There was a time when just about every major European club was eyeing his signature, but times have gotten tough in Italy for the 22-year-old.

Conte is widely known for relying heavily on a strong three-man defence. Is there enough quality in the current Spurs backline to achieve the manager’s ambition?

De Ligt finds himself in and out of the Juventus starting XI, and Calciomercato reports that Spurs could make a €70m bid for the centre-back.

Franck Kessie

Another Serie A man that has gathered plenty of interest in recent years. The midfielder has already suggested that a move away from AC Milan could happen in the near future. His contract expires at the end of the season, and Gazzetta dello Sport says that Spurs are ready to pounce.

Again, fans will wonder if there is enough strength and power in that midfield to control the ball in Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formations. With Kessie, those worries would be put aside.

Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic is another midfielder that is being linked with a move to north London. And Manchester United’s Donny van De Beek is another potential route that Conte could approach. Football fans are well aware of his potential, which sadly hasn’t been witnessed in Manchester as of yet.

Lautaro Martinez

Only Norwich have scored fewer Premier League goals than Spurs this season. Heung-Min Son has four of the club’s nine goals so far. Couple that with Harry Kane’s struggles in front of goal, and a new face up front would do no harm.

On a positive note, however, is that Conte’s 3-5-2 formation – which he used at Inter – could see the duo play as a front two. And opposition defenders are more than aware of their outstanding relationship in the final third. But one can imagine just how much added firepower they would have with Martinez, who worked extremely well with Conte at Inter.

Samuel Umtiti

Barcelona have frozen out the French defender. According to Football Espana, he has several loan offers coming his way. Importantly for Spurs, Umtiti could be available as early as January.

Conte could also approach his former player Stefan de Vrij. Umtiti, however, seems the more realistic option at this early stage. The 27-year-old would bring a wealth of experience to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Federico Chiesa

Perhaps the one signing that would excite Spurs fans most. The winger has been in sensational form all year. And that form truly came to light during Italy’s Euro 2020 success.

Is a new venture on the cards after a disappointing campaign for Juventus so far? If any move for Chiesa is made, it won’t be a cheap one. Calciomercato claims that a deal in the region of €90m is on the table for the 24-year-old.

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