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Alasdair Gold & Rob Guest

Paulo Dybala and Tottenham, Eric Dier's injury and when the Arsenal game will be rescheduled for

ray12: "Do you think we will sign Adama Traore by the end of next week?"

Alasdair says: "Spurs want to make it happen but it all depends on whether they and Wolves can come to an agreement on the fee. Tottenham would prefer to make it a loan with an obligation to buy in order to free up funds for other new signings this month, but in the summer Wolves were resistant to that idea as they wanted the money now rather than later.

"It remains to be seen whether with him currently not a regular starter and in the final 18 months of his deal, that stance has softened. Sometimes with a loan fee more can money can be taken now than in a structured permanent deal.

"While Traore and end product rarely go hand in hand - yesterday's goal was his first goal or assist in 25 matches - if someone like Conte can get more out of him then he could change Spurs' dynamic."

Mohamed Ta: "Any update on Hugo Lloris' new contract?"

Alasdair says: "That's expected to be tied up very soon. Conte is confident and from what I understand Lloris is keen to stay and his modest demands have been deemed more than reasonable by the powers that be at Spurs so that shouldn't take long at all now talks have finally started. It really should have been sorted a long time ago, not in the final six months of his deal."

ifield18: "How high is the level of anger in Spurs about the north London derby postponement? Do you think this has opened a can of worms for future fixtures?"

Alasdair says: "There's a lot of surprise and anger within Spurs about the postponement. I don't think the club always gets its communication right but their statement on this situation was spot on, particularly after Tottenham have struggled with their own large Covid outbreak.

I think the Premier League have to look at the rule because for one Covid case to influence the decision, when other teams have been having to put out plenty of kids in their team or on the bench due to injuries and absences, it seems unbalanced."

MattJ12: "How many transfers do you see Tottenham getting in before the deadline?"

Rob says: "Hopefully it will be three new additions as a new right wing-back, central midfielder and striker are expected to be the priority this month. Monday marks two weeks until the transfer deadline and that leaves Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici with limited time remaining to bring in new signings.

"However, Spurs have been known to be late movers in the transfer market in the past. As Jose Mourinho was backed in his first transfer window as Spurs boss with a couple of new additions, Levy has to do the same with Conte. Tottenham have a world-class manager at the club and they need to keep him happy about the level of backing he will get at Tottenham."

JoshD: "Are Spurs too late in moving for Dusan Vlahovic? It seems like most top clubs will be going for Haaland and obviously only one team gets him? Vlahovic seems like the sensible alternative."

Rob says: "Tottenham maybe should have gone all out for Dusan Vlahovic in the summer as they did hold talks with Fiorentina over the player. He was already attracting the interest of a number of tops clubs due to his form last season but his goal record this campaign will only have seen him come to the attention of more clubs.

"As you mention, many teams will now target Vlahovic as their alternative option if they cannot sign Erling Haaland. He'll certainly have his pick of the clubs going on his goalscoring heroics in Italy."

JoeMST: "When do you think the Arsenal game will have to be rescheduled?"

Rob says: "Right now it's unclear because both teams have other games to rearrange, with no new dates for Tottenham's postponed away games from November and December against Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion as of yet.

"There's a few gaps in the calendar in February and March for a midweek fixture as Spurs are no longer in Europe and Arsenal didn't qualify in the first place. April is the same, although you would hope that the match has been played by then."

Mark Winteridge: "If Spurs were to sign an additional striker in this January window, do you think it would be a player of the type of quality to see Antonio Conte switch to a 3-5-2 more often than not, or is the club solely looking for a back up/impact off the bench type player for the remainder of the season and then address the issue for the long term in the summer?"

Alasdair says: "Personally I'd be surprised if a striker of the quality to play alongside Kane could be bought at this point in the January transfer window. I feel like that's more something you sort in the summer, as Spurs should have. The alternative is a short-term loan move - six to 18 months - for someone to come in as back-up and you fix the problem properly in the coming summer.

The other option I wondered in an article earlier today is whether you bring in Adama Traore and not only convert him into a wing-back but also use him with his physique and running as a back-up striker for when Kane needs a rest or even some support up there."

Frankheth23: "What is the current mood in the dressing room? With a couple of months of having Conte in do you feel he’s made an impact with the players so far?"

Alasdair says: "Definitely, they've been really impressed by his training sessions. I keep hearing the word 'incredible' used about them. The man is a winner and he's full of positive energy and the players have experienced that. Some were already fearing he might walk out if not backed in this window and that shows their attachment already to him.

"The club don't fear that though, with the latest meeting with him a very positive one on Monday, and it's felt that the summer window is the crunch one.

"On the pitch, he's still unbeaten in the Premier League despite the cup stumbles and you can see the improvement made in some players. While the postponement annoyed everyone at Spurs, it's another week for Conte to work with his players on the training pitches and that's no bad thing in that respect."

Cristian Romero and Eric Dier are two important players Antonio Conte needs back (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Reggiespurs: "Have you got any Romero/Dier fitness updates and what's the chance of signing Paulo Dybala in the summer?"

Alasdair says: "I'll take the middle two as the others have been spoken about below. Romero should be back soon. He's taking on more and more of a part in training sessions and now Conte just has to chose the right moment to bring him back. For Dier, I believe there's a little problem with his thigh muscle and while he won't be out for too much longer I wonder whether the Leicester and Chelsea games might just come too soon for him.

"In terms of Dybala, clearly he's a player Spurs have looked at before. He's out of contract in the summer and said this weekend that he expect contract talks to resume next month with Juventus.

"He's a top striker but he's had plenty of injury issues since injuring his knee and I wonder whether his wages as a free agent, on top of those injury fears, could now be prohibitive.

"Conte and Paratici will know him well, and he's still scored goals this year and captained the side at times, but ultimately it always comes down to money in football."

TheRealMrFantastic: "If we sell Steven Bergwijn, do you think that we will bring in a like for like replacement, or a backup striker which we are looking for?"

Rob says: "Tottenham need to bring in another out-and-out striker regardless of whether Steven Bergwijn moves or not. Spurs just cannot keep relying on Harry Kane as there will no doubt be a point when he is unavailable and Spurs are short of options there.

"Conte has already made it clear that Bergwijn is someone he counts on and that could mean he remains at Spurs this month despite talk of a switch to Ajax. If he is sold, however, then I think Tottenham need to bring in a like-for-like replacement or a player who can operate on the wing and as a striker. They cannot leave themselves short in a position once again."

DeanHarvey: "Do you have an update on the Conference League proposed appeal?"

Rob says: "As we reported at the start of January, Tottenham's appeal is with the club's lawyers for consideration and nothing had been decided yet."

AdamJamesHarris: "Could Spurs make a move for Origi? Free transfer and would be a great back to Kane or could play alongside him."

Rob says: "I think Divock Origi would be a decent player to bring in as cover for Kane but it would all depend on the player and Tottenham's thinking. Origi hasn't been a regular at Liverpool and he may want to go somewhere where he is playing week in, week out at his next club. Tottenham may also decide that they want to go for a top striker who can play alongside Harry Kane, as was the idea last summer when Dusan Vlahovic and Lautaro Martinez were linked."

George93: "We’ve heard about Paratici working on the scouting department at Tottenham, is there any other part of the club that he is working on improving to help the club grow?"

Alasdair says: "Paratici has been undertaking appraisals of all areas of the football side of the business in recent months, looking at what needs to be brought up to the levels he was used to at Juventus. Scouting was one of them, with the budget increased and more roles opened up within the set-up. He will have been doing the same across the board in everything that helps the football side."

Sunsutamgu: "How much is Tottenham's interest in Jesse Lingard?"

Alasdair said: "Spurs have approached Lingard's representatives about a potential summer move when his contract ends at Manchester United. He would help Tottenham's homegrown numbers and he is a versatile, experienced attacker, but there could be plenty of interest in him as a free agent and his wage demands will reflect that."

Reggiespurs: "Any idea which club Eriksen might be going to and I know we always hear that we need to sell before we buy but is that more because we are on our non domestic player cap rather than funds related? Surely we couldn’t even register Adama, for example, if the Bergwijn deal, or other, falls through?"

Alasdair says: "At the moment it seems like Eriksen is going elsewhere if he returns to the Premier League. Spurs are not - at this stage - believed to be one of the sides looking to bring the Dane back to England following his release from Inter Milan. In terms of the non-locally trained players, there's enough space in the Premier League for new signings. The issue lay in the European squad which is currently not something Spurs need to worry about.

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