‘He’s had his chances’ – Pundit claims player’s Spurs career is in jeopardy under Conte

After falling behind 2-0 in Sunday’s defeat to Wolves, Ryan Sessegnon was the first player to face the axe from manager Antonio Conte, being subbed off after just 28 minutes.

Now, former Leeds United player and current pundit Noel Whelan claims Ryan Sessegnon is ‘fighting for his Tottenham career’ after the disastrous events at the weekend.

Although Spurs started the match on the front foot against Bruno Lage’s men, two defensive howlers from Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies left the Lilywhites with a mountain to climb.

As such, Conte turned to his bench and changed the formation from three at the back to a four, replacing Sessegnon with Dejan Kulusevski who slotted into a number ten role.

On Conte’s tactics, Whelan said (Football Insider): “He’s given everyone a chance to show him that they deserve to be at the football club. He won’t stand for anything less than 100 per cent.

“As soon as he spots something he doesn’t like, he’ll change it. Whether it’s five minutes or 20 minutes in.”

Whelan also noted that things could be tough for Sessegnon in the future with Spurs.

Whelan added: “There’s a lot of players who are fighting for their careers at Tottenham, and Ryan is one of them. Being subbed off like that would have hurt Sessegnon – but you’ve got to make every game count

“It’s a harsh learning curve for a player like Sessegnon, but he’s had his chances. Conte has got a strong personality and if you can’t match it – you’ll be out the door.”

Since arriving from Fulham in 2019, Sessegnon has made just 22 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, including just 11 in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

In his first start under Conte in the Conference League, he was sent off with a second yellow card offence after just 31 minutes.

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While Ryan Sessegnon is still just 21 years of age, he has failed to consistently find minutes at Spurs under four different managers. 

And while he showed promise while on loan last season at Bundesliga side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, things haven’t translated to North London upon his return.

Conte has given him limited chances, but he has failed to impress in the few he has been allotted. 

With a midfield that recently added Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski during the January transfer window and both Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso out on loan who could return next season, minutes are going to be hard to come by for Sessegnon now and in the future.

It’s possible he gets another chance from Conte, but if he doesn’t it’s really down to his own doing. At that point, it might be time to send Sessegnon back out on loan during the summer window or sell him altogether. If he is not going to feature consistently and isn’t in Conte’s plans, the club should move off him and try to get something in return before it is too late.

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