After the first leg EFL Cup loss to Chelsea, Antonio Conte is looking to ring the changes at the club. The Italian coach was damning with his assessment of Tottenham against Chelsea, where they lost 2-0. Tottenham looked limp in the tie and hardly created any chance. They afforded Chelsea time and space to operate, which gave Conte much to mull over.
Conte has set his sights on Wolves star Adama Traore. The former Chelsea boss wants to bring the winger to Tottenham in the winter transfer window.
Tottenham in pursuit of Traore
Antonio Conte wants a wing-back to bolster his squad, and he has his sights on Wolves winger Adama Traore. Conte wants to transform the winger into a wing-back.
It is not the first time that Conte will be trying the trick. At Chelsea, Conte did it with success as he managed to revive the career of Victor Moses. Victor Moses played a vital role in the Chelsea side that won the Premier League in 2016-17.
According to The Athletic, Conte has pulled that ace up his sleeve and has Tottenham's technicalctor Fabio Paratici on his side as they aim to repeat the act with Traore.
Tottenham have been in pursuit of the 25-year-old for a while. The chase for the winger dates back before the arrival of Antonio Conte in November. The North London club could have tied up the deal last summer, but Wolves called it off.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs also agreed on a loan deal for Traore, but that deal never saw the light of the day.
The Athletic also reports that Conte has designated the right wing-back a priority and wants to improve the squad in that position.
Conte dissatisfied - wants to improve the squad
Emerson Royal joined Tottenham from Barcelona and has tied down the right-back position. Changes are about to be made by Antonio Conte that might affect Emerson Royal.
Conte has a heavy reliance on a back-three system with wing-back vital to the success of that system. It was a success for him at Chelsea, where he moulded Victor Moses into an elite wing-back and led the Blues to a Premier League title.
Conte wants to transform Traore into another Victor Moses. The arrival of Traore will put Emerson’s position under threat.
Sergio Reguilon holds down the position on the left side, with Conte seemingly satisfied with the former Real Madrid full-back. It is a delicate situation with Wolves unsure if to sell now or not. Traore has 18 months left on his current contract and has shown little to suggest committing to a new deal. With time passing without an agreement, Wolves may have to sell instead of losing him for free.
A move away from the Molineux looks inevitable, with Traore’s market value sitting at £20 million. The Athletic further reports that Tottenham is willing to sweeten the deal with former Wolves defender Matt Doherty.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
