Harry Winks has made it clear that he is taking it on a game-by-game basis rather than focusing on what this summer will bring in regards to his Tottenham future. After playing a bit-part role under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, the midfielder was allowed to depart Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer.
With a permanent move not coming to fruition during the summer transfer window, Winks headed to Italy to link up with Sampdoria on loan at the end of August. Unfortunately needing to undergo ankle surgery in November and not making his debut for the Blucerchiati until the middle of January, the 27-year-old is now getting a good run in the side and doing all he can to help keep them in the top flight.
Just past the halfway stage in the Serie A season, Winks has 17 league games left to go with Sampdoria before his loan spell ends and he returns to north London. It will be a key period for him as he looks to get his career back on track after seeing his game time drop in recent seasons, but Winks says he just wants to be in a "positive situation" with his current club come the start of June.
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"I’m taking it game-by-game because you can’t in football," said Winks when asked about his long-term future, as reported by Football Daily. "With the injury I had earlier in the season, it’s so difficult to sort of think too far ahead because you never really know what’s coming or what’s around the corner.
"So I just sort of take it by a day-by-day, week-by-week basis and at the end of the season I want to be in a positive situation with the club here. Hopefully we can stay up, we can have some great results and everything can be positive here. And on a personal note, to play as many games as possible and just sort of get back to that confidence and enjoying playing regularly."
Making an impression for Sampdoria in his first four games for the club, Winks has taken to life in Serie A incredibly well. Conte's style of play has certainly benefitted the Tottenham academy graduate as what he learnt under the Italian at Hotspur Way is very similar to the football on show in the head coach's home country.
"The manager I still get on really well," said Winks on his relationship with Conte. "There was no animosity with the club leaving, it was just about me wanting to play football regularly.
"Lots of his tactics, lots of his ways of thinking, there's lot of similarities out here and it has definitely served me well in that sense coming out here because I understand the way he likes to think. The way he likes to play is very similar to Serie A and it has definitely helped me since coming here to settle in and adjust to the style and tactics."
Watching different European leagues when he was growing up, Winks, at some point in his career, always wanted to sample life in one of Europe's top leagues. A real life experience for the player as he adapts to a new country, new culture and a new style, it is something he has really embraced since moving to the city of Genoa.
"Since I was a little kid I have always enjoyed watching different styles of football, different countries and different leagues," he admitted. "Of course the Premier League was always a dream as well to play in with Tottenham there was fantastic and I still very much love the Premier League, but Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga they were always leagues that I grew up watching and countries that whenever they're on TV when the Premier League is not you watch.
"As a kid growing up it was always something that I wanted to experience in my career, whether that be later on or earlier, but there was never really a time set when I was going to try and make that decision. But when Sampdoria came it was an opportunity for me to play football, an opportunity for me to learn a new style, a new language and a new culture and everything about that, so it was important to come here and give it a go and I have loved it since.
"It's a completely different way of living but it is something that I have really embraced and I am enjoying my time here. British players tend not to go abroad, I think it's quite known that they tend to stay more in England or the Premier League. But I think it is an incredible life experience, football experience as well because you learn not only different kinds of cultures but tactics, the way teams play and the continental style of play is really important to get as much experience and as much knowledge in football as possible because it is only going to benefit each player."
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