It took Tottenham Hotspur longer than it should have done to find a successor to Jose Mourinho, and this time they clearly had a firm plan in place before showing Nuno Espirito Santo the door.
The Portuguese coach was ushered out the exit on Monday, and it quickly became clear it would be Antonio Conte taking over. With the Italian’s arrival announced by Spurs on Tuesday, all thoughts will now turn to incomings.
On Monday afternoon it was made very clear in Italy that the former Chelsea boss would not have agreed to manage Tottenham had he not had major assurances about spending in the coming windows.
Senior Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Carlo Laudisa explains that Conte will first assess what he has at his new club, before going charging into the market. However, he’ll make an ‘exception’ when it comes to central defence.
There’s an insistence Conte will want to improve Tottenham in that position quickly, and Gazzetta tip an ‘immediate attempt’ for Stefan de Vrij. The Inter Milan defender has a contract expiring in June 2023, which puts his club under a little pressure.
From Inter Milan’s perspective it’s said that a sale would be easier for the club, and presumably easier to present to fans, if it were to happen in the summer rather than January, although Conte would obviously prefer a quicker deal.
Lazio’s Manuel Lazzari is presented as another option, and Laudisa doesn’t think there’s anything in Alessandro Bastoni rumours.
