Antonio Conte has admitted that new Tottenham Hotspur player Djed Spence was someone "the club decided to buy" rather than the Spurs boss pushing for the transfer himself.
The 21-year-old completed his move to Spurs this week in a move worth an initial £12.5million, potentially rising to £20million due to add-ons. And Conte has admitted the player is someone the club wanted to bring in and wasn't a target he had set his sights on at the beginning of the summer transfer window.
It comes as the Tottenham boss has opened up on Paris Saint-Germain's interest in appointing him as their manager at the end of last season. And Spurs have been handed a major James Maddison transfer boost.
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Spence transfer admission
Antonio Conte has admitted Tottenham's decision to sign Djed Spence wasn't made by him.
Spence is Spurs’ sixth arrival of the summer following the signings of Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Clement Lenglet. The ex-Middlesbrough full-back helped Nottingham Forest to promotion last season during a successful loan switch, leading to interest from Premier League clubs.
Spurs ultimately decided to bring him in, although Spurs boss Antonio Conte has hinted the decision was made by his bosses. He said: "The club wanted to do it. I said okay, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us. The club decided to buy him."
Conte opens up on PSG interest
Antonio Conte has revealed why he decided to stay at Tottenham Hotspur this summer amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
Conte himself only joined Spurs last November to replace Nuno Espirito Santo but was linked with a pretty quick exit from north London. The Italian was linked with a move to replace Mauricio Pochettino at the Ligue 1 champions before they appointed ex-Nice boss Christophe Galtier.
And Conte now says he stayed with Spurs "because I said that we have just started the project".
Maddison transfer boost
Tottenham have reportedly been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Leicester City playmaker James Maddison.
Antonio Conte is understood to be keen to press on with improving his squad despite already bringing in the six signings he was promised this summer. And Maddison is thought to be one of the players the club is looking at, with reports suggesting Leicester may need to sell.
That is because it has been suggested the Foxes' wages-to-turnover ratio is unsustainable, according to football.london. Leicester have reportedly put moves for Noni Madueke and Chelsea's Levi Colwill on hold while they wait for funds to come in, and that could lead to them parting ways with Maddison.
