There are plenty of decisions for Antonio Conte to make this summer, ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season. The Italian wants to ensure he has the strongest squad possible and this will require further incomings as well as a number of outgoings.
Tottenham have had a good start with the former, already welcoming Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison to the club. However, the Lilywhites have only seen Cameron Carter-Vickers leave so far.
One player who Conte has a decision to make about is Japhet Tanganga, and it will not be an easy choice. The defender made 11 Premier League appearances last season, before his knee injury ended his 2021/22 campaign prematurely, leading to surgery.
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Before his absence, the 23-year-old was doing well to try and adapt to Conte's system. Now football.london understands Tanganga is fully fit and ready to work hard during a tough pre-season and prove his worth to the Italian.
The Englishman has been spotted in training pictures and videos this week, as the Spurs squad make their return to Hotspur Way. Even though the defender seemed to be taking it easy in one training exercise, he is getting stuck in.
Tanganga is expected to get plenty of opportunities during the pre-season friendlies, which will then help Conte make his final decision about the 23-year-old. Comments Jose Mourinho made on the defender last year, when he was in charge in N17, may help the Italian when it comes to making his mind up.
"Japhet for us is being like the emergency guy. When we need he is there and when we need sometimes he is a right-back, as a left-back, other times in a centre-back in a defence of three and you can look at the recent matches with the national team, against Portugal he played right-back, two days later against Croatia he played centre-back," Mourinho explained.
"I don’t think it is a bad thing, especially for a young player, because what a young player needs is minutes and as a player I had many years ago, from right-back to left wing, ‘I am ready for you’ and as an emergency as a goalkeeper, so Japhet is a little bit like this. As you know he is not a giant, he needs to improve, his crossing needs to improve, the timings to arrive in attacking positions, but he is comfortable with the ball, he doesn’t make many mistakes, he is solid, reads the game well and is a player we can trust."
Having reliable players in the team and ones Conte knows he can call on when needed, is only going to help with inevitable rotation next season. With Tottenham's busy fixture schedule, Tanganga would be sure to get some game time and with his versatility, it gives him even more chance of being given the nod.
However, as Mourinho says, "what a young player needs is minutes" and with the defensive line the Italian has, with potential new additions, it isn't likely that the 23-year-old would get the game time he needs. Oliver Skipp had a successful loan spell at Norwich, where he featured in every game but one and played a major part in their promotion.
The youngster then returned to N17, slotted straight into the regular XI and showed the quality he had and the development he had made, during his loan spell. Skipp was also set-back by injury last season and will now have to battle his way back to the starting line-up.
A loan deal may be the path Tanganga should take, spending some time elsewhere and then returning to the capital with more experience and as a more developed player. This could be what the defender gets, as there were reported talks with AC Milan on Wednesday.
If this is something all parties feel could be most beneficial to the defender, it will be interesting to see if Tanganga gets a temporary or permanent move. Tottenham and Conte's decision will definitely be influenced by how the 23-year-old gets on during pre-season, but is also likely to be impacted by the other signings Spurs make, as the transfer window goes on.
So it is a waiting game to see what the future holds for Tanganga, but as a young player with clear potential, the defender needs to do what is going to help get the best out of him.
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