Conte on Tottenham’s winter: “Squad weakened on paper”

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Two newcomers, four departures

According to coach Antonio Conte, Tottenham Hotspur did not emerge as a big winner from the past winter transfer window. The 52-year-old was critical of his club’s yield. “What happened in January was not easy. Four players left the club and they were important players,” Conte lamented in an interview “Sky” in Italy. “Two were added, so the squad was not strengthened numerically, but weakened on paper.”

Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur (24) and right winger Dejan Kulusevski (21) came from Juventus Turin in doubles and a total value of 55 million euros on Deadline Day. While Bentancur was signed for 19 million euros plus 6 million euros in possible bonuses, Kulusevski initially switched to London for 10 million euros on loan until 2023. In addition, there is a purchase option of EUR 35 million which, depending on success, can turn into a purchase obligation. If they were redeemed, Conte’s clubs would have signed a total of newcomers under his direction for a transfer fee of one billion euros.

Mourinho at the top: managers with highest transfer spend since 2000

14 Jurgen Klopp – Players signed: 72 – Spending: €727.97M

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Status: 02/17/2022

13 Claudio Ranieri – Players signed: 92 – Spending: €764.56M

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12 Roberto Mancini – Players signed: 83 – Spending: €817.18M

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11 Rafael Benítez – Players signed: 104 – Spending: €830.78M

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10 Unai Emery – Players signed: 74 – Spending: €847.20M

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9 Ernesto Valverde – Players signed: 53 – Spending: €869.83M

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8 Arsène Wenger – Players signed: 84 – Spending: €891.37M

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7 Antonio Conte – Players signed: 84 – Spending: €966.10M

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6 Diego Simeone – Players signed: 69 – Spending: €986.02M

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5 Massimiliano Allegri – Players signed: 96 – Spending: €1.08B

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4 Manuel Pellegrini – Players signed: 90 – Spending: €1.16B

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3 Carlo Ancelotti – Players signed: 88 – Spending: €1.37B

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2 Pep Guardiola – Players signed: 67 – Spending: €1.60bn

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1 José Mourinho – Players signed: 104 – Spending: €1.72B

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In return, Spurs left Tanguy Ndombélé (25, loan to OL), Dele Alli (25, free transfer to Everton), Giovani Lo Celso (25, loan to Villarreal FC) and Bryan Gil (21, loan to Valencia) – the four professionals come to a total market value of 113 million euros. Means: In this interplay in winter, Tottenham lost 58 million euros in squad value (to the transfer overview).

Coach Conte understands Tottenham’s vision: focus on young players

Despite all the concerns, Conte sees his club on the right path for him. “Bentancur and Kulusevski are ideal candidates for Tottenham because the club are looking for young players who can improve and develop, not players who are already done. That’s the story here,” said the trainer, but also said: “If you want to improve faster and be competitive faster, you inevitably need more experienced players because they increase the level of experience in the team.” However, he “understood that this is the vision of the association”.

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