Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has revealed that Antonio Conte wants to drill the mentality of there being a clear first choice starting eleven out of his Tottenham squad.
Spurs have been quite busy so far this summer, adding the likes of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma to their ranks.
According to reports, Djed Spence (Football Insider) is one of the players the North London club are set to turn their attention to next.
Besides the right-wing-back, reports indicate that Conte also wants to sign two more defenders and a forward (The Times), with the likes of Gabriel Jesus (Mirror), Richarlison (UOL) and Lautaro Martinez (Alfredo Pedulla) among the names being linked.
Spurs fans might be wondering whether it is in the club’s best interest to spend big money on a player like Martinez, given that Antonio Conte already has Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski at his disposal.
However, Gold has now said that Conte does not want those at the club to have the mentality of a set starting eleven.
The journalist explained that, instead, the Italian wants a squad full of players of similar abilities who are constantly pushing each other. Conte allegedly wants options to make tactical and personnel challenges without impacting the quality of the team.
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Different coaches tend to have different strategies when it comes to squad building. Jose Mourinho, for example, showed that he prefers a set starting eleven, and did not want to change a winning formula.
We saw the same from Conte last season but perhaps that was a consequence of not having too many options. If Spurs are to compete on multiple fronts next, we are going to need a stronger squad.
The fact that five substitutions will be allowed next season also means that having quality options on the bench is crucial.
Given that the World Cup is set to be played in the middle of the season, it could also be a challenge to manage player fatigue in the final few months of the campaign, and there could be more injuries in the business end than usual.
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