Ask anyone who has watched Antonio Conte build a team, and they will stress the value of wing-backs. Often playing without recognised wingers, Conte tends to love using his wing-backs as very aggressive attacking outlets. At Internazionale, he won the title using the rampaging power of Ivan Perisic, now at Spurs of course, and Achraf Hakimi. And while the players at Spurs are not quite on the same level as the Moroccan, the arrival of one Djed Spence could be very exciting indeed.
The young wing-back shone at Nottingham Forest last season, getting huge write-ups from excited fans. Middlesborough soon wondered what they had done by loaning the player out, and now a fee of around £15m is set to be banked. Forest were keen to bring the player back to the Trent, but it has not been possible – as soon as Spurs and Conte got involved, everybody else was put on the backburner. If Spurs end up not signing Spence at this point, it is likely due to the club changing targets as opposed to the player changing terms.
Spence is, for his part, desperate to get to the club and would be seen as the ideal upgrade at right wing-back. With rumours swirling that Emerson Royal will be ditched, Spence would offer the age profile, the stamina, and the technical standard that Conte expects. It would also likely make room for another wing-back to arrive later in the window.
Despite the career revival of Matt Doherty under Conte, it is still widely expected that he will be quietly moved back to the bench once Spence arrives.
Left back expected to see a similar shake-up
While Spence arriving adds another option to the right side of the flank, the left side is still under much debate. The arrival of Perisic and the form of Ryan Sessegnon means that fans are hopeful that Conte has what he needs in the wide positions. That being said, there are some worries that left-back is not quite as solid as some would have hoped – this could see another wing-back arrive to play on the left.
What does this mean for Sergio Reguilon? Likely an exit. Reports that he could be returning to Spain have been increasingly common. Former club Sevilla have been linked, with one of their left-backs in Ludwig Augustinsson heading to Aston Villa on loan. This could see the Spaniard given a chance to go back to Spain and fight for a place in Andalusia.
For Conte, it would mean getting rid of a wage that he does not necessarily want so that he can replace the player with someone even better. Hopes are high, then, that progress can be made quickly and that Conte can continue to mould the squad in his image. Reguilon is highly rated by those at the club, but Conte has so much goodwill that he basically has full say on everything that matters. As such, the exit of Reguilon should be seen as likely at this stage as the Italian continues to reshape the squad.
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