Antonio Conte opens up on failed January transfer deal ahead of Liverpool match

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte has spoken about the club’s failed transfer pursuit of Luis Diaz.

The north Londoners emerged as frontrunners to land the Porto winger during the January transfer window, only for Liverpool to swoop in and bring him to Anfield.

Spurs had even agreed terms with Porto to land Diaz for £37.6 million plus add-ons only for the deal to become delayed after super agent Jorge Mendes became into the negotiations (The Athletic).

Levy was said to have been left so furious by the developments that some sources believe it could led to a period of hostility between the two clubs.

Diaz will line up against Tottenham later this evening where he will be looking to keep the Reds in the race for the Premier League crown and hand Spurs’ hopes of a return to the Champions League a near-fatal blow.

Conte acknowledged during yesterday’s pre-Liverpool press conference that Fabio Paratici had attempted to land the Brazilian before turning his attentions to his former club Juventus to sign Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.

He told Football.London: “We knew [Diaz] was a top player. I think Paratici tried to see the possibility to sign him, but in the same way, we signed Kulusevski and to see the capacity of this player to come into our team, like Rodrigo Bentancur. For us these two signings were very important because the team has improved in quality,”

“When there is an important player, it is important to try to sign him because you know a top player will improve your team and the quality of your squad. If you want to win something, for sure you need players at the top, not medium level players.”

SpursWeb Opinion

Diaz has already proven he is a top player having seamlessly slotted into the Liverpool side and helped to turn around their Champions League semi-final second leg tie at Villarreal earlier this week. However, Spurs fans certainly cannot deny the impact which Kulusevski and Bentancur have had on the side since their arrival.

If Spurs want to attract the very best players, they need to ensure they are competing in the Champions League season after season.

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