Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Emma de Duve

Antonio Conte told why Tottenham may not secure Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus transfer deals

Tottenham have already started their summer business, with Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster both signing deals until 2024, making the move to north London on free transfers. This is the start of a hopefully busy summer in N17, with Antonio Conte needing more players to strengthen his squad.

The Italian's reputation is likely to be an attraction in itself, for many players, let alone the location, world-class facilities and now Champions League football that Spurs have to offer. The transfer window officially opens on Friday and there will be hope that Fabio Paratici can secure some more deals for Conte, ahead of the tough pre-season that is expected.

Tottenham have been linked with players across the globe, but also some a bit closer to home. Both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, part of Man City's Premier League title winning team, have been linked with moves this summer.

READ MORE: England star Raheem Sterling on Tottenham's radar as Antonio Conte looks to bolster his attack

Sterling made 30 Premier League appearances last season, scoring 13 goals and registering six assists, as well as featuring 12 times in the Champions League. With the 27-year-old's wealth of experience for both his club, country and playing in the top competitions, he is likely to be an attractive player to Conte.

The Englishman also has experience of winning and would be able to bring that mentality to the Tottenham dressing room. Sterling's teammate could do the same, with Jesus also being linked with a move to N17. The Brazilian has also been heavily linked with Arsenal, meaning if Spurs did want to try and secure a deal with the 25-year-old, it wouldn't come without competition.

Jesus doesn't have long left on his contract, which means he will have to make a decision regarding his future soon. However Tottenham legend Paul Robinson has explained the question the forward will have to ask himself.

"It is down to the player’s ambitions. He will have no shortage of clubs interested in him," Robinson admitted to Football Insider.

"It depends on what he is driven by. Is he driven by success or finance?

"He is coming to the end of his contract. It is up to him to decide what he wants to do for the next four or five years. Does he want to maximise his earning capacity or win more honours in the game?" he added.

Spurs are still waiting to end their 14-year trophy drought and if Jesus has offers from teams who have more recently won silverware, he may be attracted elsewhere.

Money could also be an issue, if Tottenham wanted to secure a deal to move Sterling to the capital, which Robinson also outlined. "I struggled to see how Raheem Sterling would fit into Tottenham’s wage structure," he explained.

"I’m sure he’s on a big salary at Man City and I can’t imagine he’d want to take a cut on it in the prime of his career. He has talked openly about his desire to play abroad so I think that is more likely.

"I can’t see Spurs paying Man City a sizeable fee plus the wages needed to get him. He won’t take a pay cut to join Spurs when he could get the wages he is on now abroad," the 42-year-old added.

According to some reports, the 27-year-old is considering remaining at the Manchester club for one more season, until his contract runs out and he will become a free agent. However if either of the Man City players made the move to Tottenham, it could solve a key problem for Conte.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min continued their solid combination work last season and were helped by the arrival of Dejan Kulusevski, who made an immediate impact on the Spurs side. This meant the front trio created a strong attack, becoming a threat to opposing teams.

The Italian's other options for rotation in the front three are Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura. Although the latter seems likely to remain in N17 next season, Bergwijn has already expressed his wish to leave.

Therefore, Tottenham need further reinforcements to give Conte the squad depth needed, for the 52-year-old to make necessary rotations and deal with the five substitution rule. This is where the likes of Sterling and Jesus could come in.

If you look at Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side, they have a solid front three, but a trio that can be rotated and still keep the quality to a high level. This is what the Italian needs at Spurs, although this could be a struggle as not many players will want to move to a team to sit on the bench.

Either way, it is clear that Conte needs some new arrivals at Tottenham and the likes of Jesus and Sterling could both be good additions. Although neither would come without their battles, given the Brazilian's links with Arsenal and Chelsea's reported interesting in Sterling.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.