Arsenal legend claims Conte will find it difficult to sell these four players in January

Paul Merson has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur will have trouble getting some of their players out the door during the January transfer window.

Spurs are expected to target a forward, a right-wing-back and a left-sided centre-back before the window closes at the end of the month. However, apart from incomings, there could also be several players leaving the club in January. 

Matt Doherty is reported to be surplus to the requirements while Antonio Conte has allegedly also given the green light to move on Dele Alli.

In addition, it has been suggested that Steven Bergwijn could return to the Eredivisie while Joe Rodon is thought to be keen on a loan move away from the club to get regular game time. 

Finally, there also remains the curious case of Tanguy Ndombele, who continues to get overlooked by Conte, with the Spurs boss not being too complimentary about the midfielder in his press conference last week.

Merson believes that cashing in on some of the aforementioned players might give Conte a huge transfer kitty to work with. However, the pundit warned that convincing those players to leave is going to be far from easy.

The former Arsenal midfielder told Sky Sports News (01/01/22 at 2:10 pm) “There are assets they could sell. Maybe Steven Bergjwin. Joe Rodon, who he doesn’t seem to fancy. Ndombele, who he doesn’t seem to fancy. Lo Celso.

“The problem is, in this day and age. All them players, you have just named. They aren’t going anywhere.

“Unless they get their drink out of it. They aren’t going to go anywhere and that’s going to be the problem.

“If you are going to get rid of them, then they are going to have to swallow a pill.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Among the list, I think Ndombele is going to be the only one who is difficult to shift. The likes of Dele, Doherty and Rodon will likely be open to leaving in order to get more game time. 

However, the problem with Ndombele is that I do not see anyone else matching the midfielder’s current £200,000 per week salary. So, he might have to accept a pay cut in order to seal a move away. 

Related Topics