Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tottenham told to bin Emerson Royal and two more as Conte looks towards ‘top-class’ transfers

Antonio Conte of Inter Milan attends a press conference after being defeated by Juventus F.C. during the 2019 International Champions Cup football tournament in Nanjing city, east China's Jiangsu province in 2019

Tottenham should get rid of Emerson Royal and two other senior first-teamers and sign players of a “much better calibre”, according to Gabby Agbonlahor.

Spurs head into the final day of the Premier League season looking to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Their hopes of a top-four finish looked bleak under Nuno Espirito Santo.

And despite current boss Antonio Conte admitting serious doubt over whether he would stay at the club amid inconsistent form, Tottenham have turned a corner of late.

In fact, they have turned the tables on north London rivals and Arsenal now only need to draw with already-relegated Norwich on Sunday to finish in the top four – unless there is a 15-goal swing in the Gunners’ favour.

Should they return to the Champions League, pundit Agbonlahor has backed Tottenham to enjoy a summer clear-out, including three key first-team players.

“Conte will be there next season – and they’ll be in the Champions League,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider.

“They’ll batter Norwich about four or five-nil.

“Harry Kane and Conte will be so happy to have achieved this massive milestone. That’s the main thing which will keep them at the club.

“They can now attract a much better calibre of player. It’s a really good time for Spurs to press home their advantage. They can stay above Arsenal for a long, long time.

“They can go out and back Conte. They’re looking for top-class players in the market. They’ve got to be getting rid of the likes of Moura, Winks, Emerson Royal.”

However, as well as potential new signings, Agbonlahor insisted that former Conte will now want silverware to cement his progress at Tottenham.

“Conte won’t be happy to just qualify for the Champions League every season,” the pundit said. “He’ll want to win trophies.”

Tottenham told to get rid of three

Antonio Conte, Tottenham, giving orders, Burnley

As for those who Agbonlahor said should leave, Winks’ season under Conte has proved a tale of two halves.

He was a key player in the early stages of the Italian’s reign, but the January arrival of Rodrigo Bentancur has seen him struggle for game time.

Emerson, meanwhile, has been battling with Matt Doherty for a spot at wing-back or full-back.

Levy must spend to keep Conte at Tottenham

Levy must spend to keep Conte at Tottenham

Daniel Levy must spend this summer to keep Antonio Conte at Tottenham amid interest from PSG

Conte has not truly made his mind up on who he prefers yet and could yet make a new signing in that area this summer.

As for Moura, he has been affected in a similar way to Winks. Winter addition Dejan Kulusevski has had a fantastic impact and become one of the first names on the team sheet.

In any case, all three players will be hoping to enjoy the finish on a strong note and prove their worth to Conte one last time this season.