Harry Winks is one Tottenham player who has had an up and down first half of the season and despite improvements under Antonio Conte, he may still face some uncertainty.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo, Winks struggled to get consistent game time and was excluded from the squad in the first North London Derby of the season and in the Carabao Cup game against Burnley .
This led to some rumours about a potential move being on the cards for the midfielder, along with Dele Alli who was also left out of the squad in the trip to Turf Moor.
Since the arrival of the Italian, the 26-year-old has been given more opportunities and improved his form, which meant he remained in north London during the January transfer window, whilst the Dele links became a reality as he made the permanent move to Everton on deadline day.
However, the arrival of Juventus duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in the winter window may now cause some uncertainty for the likes of Winks and football.london looks at what the future might hold for the midfielder, in N17.
What does Harry Winks want at Tottenham?
In October, the 26-year-old gave his very honest verdict of what he wants playing for the club he has spent his whole life at.
"Listen, I love Tottenham, I’ve always made that clear, but I want to play football. And I want to play regular football," Winks admitted, having only made two Premier League appearances for Spurs at the time of the interview.
"The only way to play your best football, get momentum is when you’re playing regularly.
"Listen, I’m giving my all for the club, of course I am. They stuck by me, I stuck by them – and I want to play for Tottenham," he added.
"But it is difficult when you get matches here and there, confidence is low and you don’t get that run of games. It is difficult."
Just like any footballer, the aim is to be playing week in, week out for your club but at the time, the midfielder just wasn't being given the opportunity and when he was, he was struggling to impress.
Has he been getting what he wants?
Since the departure of Espirito Santo and Conte's arrival, Winks has clearly been working hard to improve and this is likely to have been with the help of the Italian.
The 26-year-old has gone from coming on and off the bench in matchdays to competing for a spot in the starting line-up and he has made six starts the in the league so far this season.
Winks has contributed at both ends of the pitch, as he has scored a goal and registered two assists overall and has won 23 duels and made 34 recoveries in his nine league appearances.
The midfielder has been battling with Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp for a spot in midfield and when given the chance, has shown some bright performances.
He is performing with high energy and is trying to add some much needed attacking flare to his side too, a side of his game which had been lacking.
Why might his season now change?
Winks' season may be about to change with the arrival of Bentancur, one of Tottenham's two January transfer window signings and the player who replaced the 26-year-old on Saturday night.
The Uruguayan international and his former Juventus teammate Dejan Kulusevski both got game time against Brighton on Saturday and Conte praised his two new arrivals.
"Two good signings for us and they can help us for the rest of the season," the Spurs boss said in his post match press conference. "Now start the second part of the season and I think with these two new signings we are more complete as a squad."
The 52-year-old is likely to want to utilise his new players in their best position and give them a chance to make an impact on their new side, causing Winks more competition in his midfield position.
What does the rest of the season look like for him?
If Conte opts for a 3-5-2 formation, then the 26-year-old could well have been given the nod for a place in a midfield trio.
However, that set-up isn't likely to include Kulusevski and therefore the Tottenham boss may stick with his favoured 3-4-3 formation.
This leaves just two midfield spots up for grabs and if Bentancur can impress and build on the potential he showed a glimpse of against Graham Potter's side, he may secure one of those places.
This would then mean a hard battle between Hojbjerg, Skipp and Winks for the other spot in the middle of the field.
Conte is going to have to use the depth of his squad with the busy fixture schedule that the Lilywhites have in the final few months of the season and therefore Winks is likely to get game time.
However, he will have to work hard to compete for his place in the regular line-up and only time will tell what the future holds for the midfielder.
