Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Antonio Conte told which Tottenham star must be replaced next, with new player tipped for huge impact

Antonio Conte Tottenham February 2022

Antonio Conte has found out which Tottenham player must be axed next after a pundit told him to repeat the Emerson Royal situation with another new arrival.

Emerson appears to have been replaced in the Tottenham starting lineup following the signing of Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon. After lengthy negotiations, Tottenham announced the Spaniard’s move on transfer deadline day.

Conte’s side will pay Sporting €45million (£40m) for Porro. That is despite Sporting originally telling them he could be signed for just £26.5m.

Conte was in desperate need of a new star to play at right wing-back after being left disappointed with Emerson, Matt Doherty and Djed Spence.

Spurs ended up completing an overhaul in the position, with both Doherty and Spence departing the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Doherty had his contract terminated to allow him to join Atletico Madrid. Spence, meanwhile, has moved to French club Rennes on loan.

The Spurs faithful will be hoping Porro can make the right wing-back spot his own and solve the problems Conte has had in the position.

More new signings could arrive at the north London club in the summer though, and pundit Noel Whelan has given his verdict on which player needs replacing next.

The man in question is goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris. Despite being a loyal servant to Spurs, Lloris has made some poor mistakes this campaign.

Way too many errors from Hugo Lloris, says pundit

And if Spurs can sign a top-class replacement, then this would greatly improve their chances of keeping clean sheets in important matches.

“I think we’ve seen far too many mistakes in Lloris’ game recently,” Whelan said during an interview with Football Insider.

“Conte’s taken care of an area he has been looking at since coming to the club, and I think goalkeeper will be the next area on his list.

“Lloris’ errors stand out like a striker missing chances, and it has become a real issue for Spurs.

“He’s got his man at right wing-back, so absolutely – Tottenham have got to start looking.

“Goalkeepers are as important as strikers. If you find a top-class one, it’s like gold dust.

“You’ve got to move quickly to find these kinds of players. And they should already be laying the groundwork ahead of the summer.”

Tottenham could go in for Serie A keeper

Whelan does not discuss any potential keeper replacements in particular. However, one name that has cropped up recently is Napoli shot-stopper Alex Meret.

Italian journalist Ciro Venerato provided an update on Meret’s situation recently, saying: “Meret’s future? There is no news.

“Meeting with the agent, Pastorello, at the end of the season, so we will understand if there will be a need to renew or go elsewhere.

“Tottenham are interested in the boy, a club that has also contacted the boy’s entourage in this market.”

Meret could be a great replacement for Lloris. He has helped Napoli stay top of the Serie A table with eight clean sheets from 20 league matches so far this season.

The Italian also has Champions League and international experience, so it should not take him too long to adapt. Plus, at 25 years old, Spurs could get plenty of years of service out of him.

Meanwhile, Spurs are rivalling Arsenal and Liverpool for the signing of a prolific free-agent striker, according to reports.