Mueez Ajao
– Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says the club must pay “more attention” in the transfer market because of “mistakes in the past”.
– Conte oversaw his first transfer window with the club in January, when record-signing Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil all left on loan.
– Ndombele cost Spurs £54m in 2019, while Lo Celso was £27.2m in 2020 and Gil joined from Sevilla for £22.5m in July.
Also Read: Bentancur and Kulusevski have both joined Tottenham from Juventus
– “Usually you buy players to reinforce your team,” said Conte.
– “But if you send on loan after two or three years it is strange,” the 52-year-old added.
– “It means that maybe in the past you have to see what you did and maybe to understand that there were some mistakes in the past.
– “We have to pay more attention in the future when we go into the market. It becomes a fundamental importance if we want to enforce the team, otherwise you drop the quality of your team.”
– Ndombele, who moved to Lyon, was signed for Spurs by former boss Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager also made Lo Celso a permanent signing, only for the Argentina international to move to Villarreal on loan.
– Gil, now at Valencia on loan. was brought to the club when Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge.
– Conte also oversaw the sale of midfielder Dele Alli to Everton, a deal he says was a “good decision” for “the club and the player”.
– However, the Italian says losing four players in January is “not normal”.
– Reinforcements arrived in two midfielders as Dejan Kulusevski joined from Juventus on loan, while Rodrigo Bentancur signed on a permanent deal from the Italian club.
– They will be available to face Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, but are not expected to start.
– Conte said: “These two players can help us a lot.
– “For sure now the squad is more complete. We tried to fill the right role with a midfielder Bentacur and Kulusevski, who can play as number 10 or a wingback.
– “Now we are more complete than before. Now is time to work.
– “In the transfer market we have to make not big mistakes because now I repeat there are many teams who started before us and stayed ahead of us and if we want to reduce this gap the mistakes must be minimum in every aspect.”