For Antonio Conte's style of football to succeed at the club he manages, top quality wing-backs are an absolute necessity and currently at Tottenham he does not have that. Ryan Sessegnon, Emerson Royal, Matt Doherty, Djed Spence and Ivan Perisic are the players who would be deployed as part of his setup, but it seems only the latter has the full backing and trust of the Italian.
Of the five names listed, it would be expected that Perisic is the player Conte clearly trusts the most as he joined Spurs from Inter where he won the 2021/22 Scudetto with Conte, and he has been used in both wing-back roles as well as partnering Harry Kane in a front two more recently in the absence of Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski.
Sessegnon has shown glimpses of real quality, particularly in the latter stages of last season, and Perisic's arrival is likely to only increase his development. It would not be surprising if sooner rather than later, the 22-year-old reached the standard Conte expects of him.
READ MORE: Frankfurt star Daichi Kamada delivers January transfer verdict amid Tottenham and Leeds interest
While the role of left wing-back is not perhaps perfect in Conte's eyes, the real problem lies at right wing-back where Emerson, Spence and Doherty are competing for the position. The latter was comfortably the first choice in that role towards the start of 2022 after a blistering run of form where he scored two goals and notched three assists in six games, before his season was brought to a halt following an injury suffered against Aston Villa.
Emerson has made the most appearances of the trio this season (18) but his attacking output continues to disappoint, while Spence has played just 28 minutes this season.
Spurs are in desperate need of a player who can galvanize the right hand side of the team, Inter's Denzel Dumfries would be an exciting option but it would be a challenging deal to pull of in January, however a move for a player impressing in Germany could be tempting.
According to a report from 90 min, Spurs are keeping a 'watchful eye' on Borussia Monchengladbach's Joseph Scally, who has featured in all of the German club's games this season.
The American international has been a key part of Daniel Farke's side this campaign mostly featuring on the right of a back four and at just 19, could have a very bright future in the game. Although if the report is true, a pursuit of Scally does seem rather counter-productive as Spurs already have an exciting prospect in that position with Spence.
There is no doubting Scally's ability, especially at such a young age, but Spence, who joined the club from Middlesbrough for £20million in the summer, is already waiting in the wings for a sustained opportunity in the first team and any potential move for Scally would likely highlight that the England Under-21 international may not have a future in north London.
READ NEXT:
Tottenham have their own Kylian Mbappe and Neymar following £8.3m January transfer swoop
Fabio Paratici can repeat January transfer trick as Antonio Conte eyes £105m defensive duo
Tottenham news: Antonio Conte eyes £35m reunion with Inter star as FA confirm Euro 2028 plan
Tottenham's World Cup scouting mission rated: Five stars that could complete January transfer
Full list of Tottenham players going to Qatar 2022 World Cup as Eric Dier, Rodrigo Bentancur in
