Antonio Conte has delivered a scathing judgment on Tottenham’s recent history in the transfer market, saying they made “big mistakes” which they cannot afford to repeat after the club got rid of four high-profile players on the day transfer limit.
The club’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele, who cost £55 million ($74 million) in 2019, returned to Lyon on loan, while fellow midfielder Giovani Lo Celso headed to Villarreal for the rest of the season.
Spanish winger Bryan Gil, who only signed for Spurs in July, was loaned to Valencia and Dele Alli joined Everton on an initial free transfer, with add-ons that could rise to £40m.
Tottenham manager Conte, who was appointed in November, said the departures showed Spurs had made mistakes before in the transfer market.
“It was strange because it means something went wrong in the past,” he said Friday. “It was strange, I repeat, in January to send four on loan (including Jack Clarke to Sunderland) and sell a player.
“It means that maybe in the past you have to look at what you did. And maybe to understand that there were some mistakes in the past.”
The Italian said Tottenham must pay more attention in the future when it comes to new signings to close the gap on their Premier League rivals.
“This is of fundamental importance,” he said. “Otherwise, when you try to improve the quality of your team, you lose the quality of your team.
“We know very well that we have many teams ahead of us. To achieve them we need time and patience to work hard. Especially in the transfer market we must not make big mistakes.”
He used Gil’s arrival as an example of a misjudged signing, saying the 20-year-old, although talented, did not fit the profile of a Premier League player.
“Right now, no doubt this league is very tough,” he said. “This league is different. If you compare this league with other leagues, you play another sport here.
“That is why when you are going to sign a new player you have to take many aspects into account. Not just one aspect, if he shoots well or gives an assist, many situations have to be considered because this league is very difficult.”
Spurs were able to bring in Juventus pair Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur at the end of the transfer window and Conte said they would improve his squad.
Both will feature against Brighton in Saturday’s FA Cup tie but will not start.
“Without a doubt, the team is more complete now,” Conte said. “We tried to cover the right role with a midfielder, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski can play as a number 10 and also as a full-back.”
