Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

One major surprise as report claims Conte is ready to axe Tottenham quintet

Harry Kane, Lucas Moura, Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga, Tottenham training

The exciting new era of Antonio Conte at Tottenham will reportedly prove to be the death knell for five big-name Spurs stars, claims a report.

The Italian tactitan is back in the Premier League, after taking the not-long vacant Tottenham post. He returns to London, having previously led Chelsea to Premier League and FA Cup glory. And he faces the stiff task of reviving a Spurs side that has “been in decline since 2019”.

His appointment at Spurs was confirmed on Tuesday; Conte explaining how Daniel Levy’s passion had swayed him.

Embarking on an immediate change of style will be top of his to-do list at Spurs. The Italian manager is renowned for playing an attack-minded 3-4-3 formation – and that will be far more pleasing on the eye than Nuno Espirito Santo’s more pragmatic approach.

Any changes though won’t be implemented overnight. Indeed, it may well take a couple of transfer windows for Conte to make his mark on the squad.

To that end, reports in Italy claim Conte has already given Fabio Paratici an exciting four-name transfer wishlist.

However, it clearly won’t all be spend spend spend and sacrifices will have to be made along the way. As such, a report has listed the names of five players who will likely find themselves on the chopping block.

As per the Daily Express, Conte has reportedly informed Paratici of five players who can be moved on in the winter window.

The paper writes that Harry Winks has already been informed he’s free to find a new club. The midfielder has seen his star dramatically fall in recent months. And a move to one of two Premier League clubs has already been seemingly green-lighted.

He’ll reportedly be shown the exit door alongside Dele Alli. The 37-times capped England man has lost his way quite badly in recent times. Indeed, Conte has illustrated in the past that the playmaker role serves little benefit in his formations. It was a similar tale for the  unfortunate Christian Eriksen, who also fared badly under Conte at Inter.

Conte’s desire to play a 3-4-3 formation could also spell the end of Davinson Sanchez. While the Colombian is a decent defender in his own right, reports claim he doesn’t have the mobility nor reading of the game to operate in such a system.

Antonio Conte already lining up Spurs' first January signing

Antonio Conte already lining up Spurs' first January signing

Antonio Conte is reportedly already lining up Spurs' first January signing in the form of Inter Milan centre-half Stefan de Vrij, with more news on Spurs' transfer budget, Matthijs de Ligt and Federico Chiesa.

And with Conte having reportedly earmarked Stefan de Vrij as a replacement, an exit looks may well be on the cards.

Tanguy Ndombele is another who could find himself moved on in January. The Frenchman remains Tottenham’s record signing and has endured fluctuating fortunes in north London.

However, with Conte seemingly planning to bring in Franck Kessie, Ndombele could be another man sacrificed by Conte. However, the paper readily admits that Ndombele was one of Conte’s targets at Inter. In that regard, he may yet get an early chance to stake a claim.

But the prospective arrival of Kessie would not bode well for the £55.45m signing.

Lucas Moura the surprise Spurs departure

The fifth man who could make way, as per the report, is Brazilian winger Lucas Moura. He is one of only a handful of Spurs stars worthy of escaping criticism this season, so his exit would come as a surprise.

However, with Conte’s formation relying heavily on wing-backs, Moura could find himself the odd man out and with limited game-time.

The Brazilian, who has 33 goals in 170 appearances for the club, recently stated his intentions to make a return to a former club.

And while he had been planning to make that move at the end of his current deal, that opportunity could arise for the Brazilian sooner rather than later.

The winger remains a popular figure among Tottenham fans. Indeed, his withdrawal on Saturday against Manchester United resulted in a chorus of boos ringing out around the stadium. From that point onwards, Nuno probably feared what was coming next….

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