Antonio Conte has sent another firm message to the Tottenham hierarchy as the January transfer window nears its business end, urging the club to “listen” to his “evaluations” about the state of his squad.
Conte has regularly stressed the need for reinforcements, both in terms of numbers and quality, as his Spurs side look to push for a return to the Champions League during the second half of the season.
In addition, some players deemed surplus to requirements by the Italian may be allowed to leave this month, most notably midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, who has been having individual training sessions and is reportedly in talks with PSG over a potential loan move.
Conte held a meeting with chairman Daniel Levy and managing director Fabio Paratici last week to discuss transfer plans but so far no significant incomings or outgoings have materialised.
When asked about his confidence in bringing in any new signings before the end of the month, as well as the future of Ndombele, Conte said: “Honestly, I prefer to speak about this topic always with the club. For sure, I made evaluations about the squad but I have spoken with the club and I hope the club will listen to me.”
One player whose future is in no doubt is Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, after he signed a new contract with the club on Friday. The goalkeeper agreed a new two-and-half-year deal which will keep him in north London until the summer of 2024, by which point he would have spent 12 years at the club.
“It’s important that our captain renewed his contract, not for one year but for two,” Conte added. “It means the club and the environment trust you and he’s a point of reference for the whole team, for me, for the club.
“I think it was right to sign a new contract for two years. He’s an important goalkeeper in the world, he won a lot with his national team. He’s captain of France, he’s captain of Tottenham, I think it was right to renew his contract and the club was very good to do this.”
