Nuno Espirito Santo didn’t really stand a chance, did he?
While Conte certainly isn’t stepping into the most copasetic situation, Paratici and Daniel Levy at least see him as the long-term solution at manager. On top of that, you might want to buy a lottery ticket, because it’s been reported that the club will approve the funds (at least to some degree) that Conte wants to bring in new players in January and beyond — proving that anything can happen.
In the meantime though, Conte is inheriting a talented, yet underperforming crop of players who he will be shoehorning into his high-pressing, high-workrate, 3-5-2 setup which has been proven to work at his past few managerial stops.
In predicting how Tottenham will look personnel-wise, lets take a look at how Tottenham could line up in both the near future, and after Conte brings in players in the January transfer window.
Pre-January: Goalkeeper and Defense
Hugo Lloris may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he’s still one of the Premier League’s best keepers. Pierluigi Gollini is a good prospect, but Lloris is no question the number one. He was statistically one of the league’s top performers in 2020/21 — an extra impressive feat given how much defensive pressure Spurs invited for much of the season. Lloris has seen a rough start to the current season, allowing 1.6 goals per 90 (FB Ref), but few of those were his fault, and could be chalked up more to the defensive setup of the side.
Speaking of which, the defensive setup will likely be the most noticeable change under Conte from a formational context. In Conte’s three-centerback setup, the middle defender is normally the best passer (Stefan de Vrij at Inter, David Luiz at Chelsea), who commonly looks to get the ball out to the wingbacks, or over the top to the strikers. Eric Dier is by and large the best passer among Tottenham’s crop of defenders to go along with him being the best leader.
Cristian Romero is sure to get playing time in his preferred right side of the pitch. He’s finally starting to get a kick on after his €55 million transfer in the summer from Atalanta, and his aggressive, forward-thinking approach to defending probably has Conte salivating over his potential. Japhet Tanganga will also see some matches at right centerback, which seems to be an ideal position for his future development.
A solid left-sided centerback is hard to come by for any squad, not just Tottenham, and there’s no real “tailor made” option. Ben Davies is an interesting proposition. He’s normally a left back, but Sergio Reguilón has that position in a full nelson, and while Davies has shown a great range of passing from a left centerback position the few times Spurs has tried a three-man defense, he’s also shown a proclivity to venture too far out of position being so used to going forward as a left back. Davinson Sanchez is probably the better option here. Conte’s left and right defenders are pure centerbacks Sanchez fits that bill.
Pre-January: Midfield
Conte’s midfield historically is as follows: Two wingbacks which combine heavily with two center midfielders, all in front of a defensive midfielder who screens the defenders.
Pretty defined roles positionally, but among all of them, a must for Conte is workrate. Workrate, workrate, workrate. The players need to get forward, press, get back to help defend. Conte’s training sessions are lionized for their intensity to prepare players for this purpose.
Oliver Skipp is about as mobile as a bus, but he’s a solid candidate to be that rock at the base of midfield. Taking a look back at Conte’s most recent midfield general, Marcelo Brozovic was a player at Inter who helped the back line, but also helped transition defense to attack by incisive one-touch passing to trigger the attack. Skipp, while about as interesting an uncooked block of ramen noodles, is a committed defender and an adept passer. I don’t think he will be the permanent player here (more on that later), but in the immediate future, he’s certainly not the worst option.
That deep-lying screen to the defense is essentially what Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was to Spurs in 2020/21, and was arguably Spurs’ most important player. He was certainly the most consistent player throughout the choppy waters of that campaign. Over the summer at Euro 2020 though he took on more a box-to-box role, and you know what? He was even better! Conte’s right midfielder is normally a box-to-box role, and it’s one that Højbjerg is the cookie cutter for. His stamina and intensity for all 90 minutes will be an attractive quality to Conte to build around.
The only other realistic options for the left-sided midfielder role are Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele, and Giovani Lo Celso. Ndombele is one of the most frustrating players on the planet, because he’s a roadgrader at his best, but he often is one of the first candidates to be subbed off in the 60-70 minute range. His effort and fitness issues have been well-documented, but I could certainly see him being a key contributor in midfield going forward, but I think he’ll need to convince Conte of his suitability for Conte’s system.
In the most immediate of futures though, Alli probably is most suited to slot in right away. I don’t think it will last incredibly long as Ndombele is sure to get acclimated to Conte’s ways, but Alli does possess the stamina to cover the ground necessary in Conte’s system. So far this season a lot of his performances have fallen in the category of covering a lot of ground while not accomplishing a whole lot. Still, he could just need firm directions from Conte of what he needs to do while on the pitch, and he does include a better pure goalscoring threat from midfield than Ndombele and Lo Celso.
Pre-January: Wingback
The ever-important wingbacks in Conte’s system also seem etched in stone.
Sergio Reguilón has a vice grip on the left. A wingback role will better suit his tendency to surge forward and either fire in a cross or dribble into the box than playing as left back. He’ll be able to get forward with greater regularity. He’ll still certainly track back, but he’ll have more support behind him.
Ryan Sessegnon could see a decent chance to get some playing time in Reguilón during Conference League and cup matches. He’s barely been able to kick on due to better options at both left midfield and left back, but he’s a far better wingback option than Ben Davies, so this could be a chance for Sessegnon to realize some of his potential and develop as the second choice at that spot.
Emerson will certainly take up his spot on the right. It’s widely believed that Conte earmarked Emerson to be the Achraf Hakimi replacement on the right after the Moroccan moved to PSG. Matt Doherty is a tailor-made backup, given his wealth of experience at the position ironically under Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves.
Pre-January: Striker
Another “no, duh” decision. A strike partnership of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min is a scary proposition in the best possible way. Their chemistry has always been apparent, and the pair set the benchmark of goal combinations between two players in the Premier League by linking up with each other for 34 in 2020/21. Sticking them in closer proximity to each other could be a catalyst for a new-look attack.
Although Harry Kane has shown to be more than adept at dropping into midfield and facilitating from deep, it has been slightly disgruntling to see such an expert finisher of the ball be taken so far away from the box. Regardless of who starts up top with Kane, he needs to play closer to goal.
Son has impressed in brief stints as striker (mainly when Kane’s balsa wood ankles give out), so he is more than capable of playing closer to Kane. They won’t need rely on counterattack longballs from one another to get chances, their interplay should be quicker and closer to goal. Conte has a ready-made partnership in a similar mold to that of when he had the successful machine of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku. Kane, although not as mountainous as Lukaku, can hold up play well, and Son can use his speed and technical ability to play off of him.
So, we have our squad!… For the time being at least.
There’s work to do though, and Conte will want to start building his squad now. As mentioned, Spurs are expected to be spenders in the January transfer window, and the squad above will feature different players at the end of January in all likelihood — and there are several candidates which should be eyed to beef up the squad.
Marcelo Brozović, Inter Milan
Conte should snag a page out of Mauricio Sarri’s managerial playbook. No, I’m not talking about taking up chainsmoking on the touchline during matches. I’m talking about marking the first steps of your player recruitment journey by bring in a familiar face.
Just as Sarri brought in Jorginho to be the metronome of the offense when he took over at Chelsea, so too should Conte call upon Marcelo Brozović to be the heart of a Spurs team getting acclimated to a system vastly different than the one they’ve had for the last year-plus.
It may be the most obvious transfer option, but Brozović can easily slot into that all-important defensive midfielder role he occupied while Conte was at Inter. He knows how to both work with a defense to be their shield and be the focal point of starting the attack. The Croatian is also in fine form as of late, taking home Man Of The Match Honors in three out of Inter’s four Champions League matches thus far.
Plus, he’s in the final year of his contract and it doesn’t appear he’ll re-sign. Inter need funds and could be pursuaded to sell in order to gain some income from Brozović’s departure rather than letting him leave for free.
Alessio Romangnoli, AC Milan
AC Milan’s capitano, Alessio Romangnoli, is another player whose contract is expiring at the end of the season who could immediately bolster Tottenham’s squad. AC Milan are reportedly seeking only €10 million for his services, so this could be bargain signing to reinforce a defense that has been suspect so far in the Premier League season.
Romangnoli isn’t a physical specimen, but he’s still a player that is agressive yet cerebral in his decision-making. He doesn’t possess the most stellar turn of pace, but that trait could be soothed slightly by having two fellow centerbacks for cover rather than one in the standard four-man back line.
Plus, he’s a fine distributor from the back, and could easily be placed in the center centerback role, and pushing Eric Dier out to the left in the process.
Dušan Vlahović, Fiorentina
You’re probably sensing a trend: Players who are out of contract at the end of the season. Dušan Vlahović needs to be snapped up before he potentially hits the free agent market in the summer. Spurs know that as well, as it’s been reported that a hefty chunk of change has been set aside to pursue him in January.
Vlahović has laid the Earth barren in his wake this past year. Per Squawka, the Serbian trails only Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland in goals scored this calendar year. At such a young age, he’s already a formidible blend of physical stature, skilled finishing, strong holdup play, and ability to pick out a pass if given the time.
Tottenham’s search for the ideal backup striker to Harry Kane stretches back to the Mesozoic Era. Dane Scarlett is the only other pure striker behind Kane right now, and while a good prospect, he’s several years away from being a viable option. Vlahović can deputize Kane now while also being solid insurance should get leave the club or gets injured (which most years is inevitable)
Andrea Belotti, Torino
If the winter pursuit of Vlahović falls flat and Spurs decide to try it again in the summer, Torino’s Andrea Belotti could be a nice, less expensive backup option.
Fun fact: Belotti is the only player to notch double-digit league goals in each of the last six Serie A seasons. Not Dybala, Immobile, or Insigne. Belotti.
He too is out of contract at the end of the season. He too isn’t looking to re-sign. He too is a strong striker with good finishing and hold up play, albeit without the upside of Vlahović.
Belootti could be snapped up for much less than Vlahović though, as Torino also needs the cash and could stand to get revenue from their consistent performer rather than letting him leave for free.
Post-January Squad
[All stats via FB Ref, Squawka, Understat, and WhoScored]
Three Yellow Cards 