Two weeks from now Antonio Conte will expect to see fresh options as he steps on the training pitch. The Tottenham Hotspur head coach has been frank in his discussions with chairman Daniel Levy around the need to carry out surgery on a squad that has been allowed to weaken across several years as the club’s focus zoned in on improving off-field infrastructure.
But with potentially five teams fighting for the final Champions League spot, there is a feeling - equally applicable to three of the other four - that now might be the right moment to gamble in the remaining fortnight of an unsurprisingly hitherto quiet transfer window.
Spurs, beaten finalists three years ago, are more than aware that being among the continent’s top 32 is more important than ever. Last season Chelsea made more than €100million (£83.5million) in prize money compared to Spurs getting €11.9million (£9.9million) for reaching the Europa League round of 16 and €5.8million (£4.8million) for this season’s Covid-impacted Conference League.
