Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tottenham flop opens up on disastrous loan spell with Conte forced into tough decision

Ben Stewart
Harry Winks Tottenham

Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks has opened up on his loan spell with Sampdoria and detailed where things have gone wrong.

Winks was surplus to requirements under Antonio Conte and so he pursued a loan move in search of first-team football. The midfielder joined Italian club Sampdoria, but things haven’t exactly gone to plan so far.

Sampdoria currently sit 19th in Serie A and Winks himself is yet to feature for the club. The 26-year-old has been sidelined for the entirety of the season so far.

The midfielder had to have surgery due to an ankle injury he had sustained and he is now in the process of building his fitness back up.

Winks told SampNews24: “At the moment, I feel good. I’m proceeding gradually with the recovery. In fact, it’s only been six weeks since my operation, so I need time to get back into shape.

“Now that I’m training separately on the field, I have the opportunity to see my teammates and have a comparison. I’m still physically behind them, but every day is a little bit more and for me, it’s a small win.”

There have been suggestions that Winks’ loan deal may be cut short if he is not able to fully recover but Winks hopes that will not be the case.

He adds: “I absolutely want to play for Sampdoria. The last four months have been very complicated, for the team and also for me. Lots of bad luck. I’m working hard to come back, including holidays. It was and is frustrating not being able to play or train with the team.

“But I have to stay strong and aim for the goal, and I trust that I the next five months of the league, we will be able to do well.”

Winks future up in the air

Sampdoria do have the option of purchasing Winks at the end of the season but they look unlikely to do that at this stage.

Winks only started in nine league matches last season and Conte believed that a loan move was the best option for Winks in the summer.

The Spurs manager explained (via Football London): “First of all we are talking about a really good player. Last season he played with us and he played well. It was for the player and the player felt this to try and go and play regularly, play every game.

“I think it is a good opportunity for Sampdoria, especially. They are getting a really good player. And also for Harry, to go outside of England and into Italy to play in an important league. It will be good.

“But he’s going on loan, then next season we will see. For sure, we are talking about a really good player that is going there to play regularly and it is a great signing for Sampdoria if this deal is done.”

While the loan move hasn’t quite worked out so far, Winks does still have time to turn things around. The midfielder is now back in training and will be hoping to make an impact in the second half of the season.

READ MORE: Pundit lauds ‘exceptional’ World Cup star and backs him for big Premier League move as Spurs are interested