The transfer window business is continuing, both on and off the pitch, as Antonio Conte prepares his Tottenham side for their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday. Most of the Spurs squad jetted off to South Korea for the upcoming fixtures, but a handful were left at Hotspur Way, for various reasons.
Joe Rodon missed out on the trip due to illness. Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon are all also absent, which seems to indicate that they aren't in Conte's plans for next season.
Newest arrival Clement Lenglet also didn't link up with his new squad on their travels, as he was too late to receive a visa, only arriving in N17 on Friday. However the French international is likely to be working hard in the capital, ahead of his new teammates' return.
READ MORE: Tottenham's first Korea training session: Who trained, who didn't, Perisic injury and Lenglet
Lenglet became Tottenham's fifth incoming of the summer, adding to an already successful transfer window so far. The defender has made the move to N17 on a season-long loan from Barcelona and it could be a perfect signing for all parties.
Some have questioned the 27-year-old's move, as he wasn't always first choice with the Spanish side. Lenglet did make 20 La Liga appearances last season, playing as both a centre-back and a left-back.
Ben Davies didn't have much competition for his spot as left centre-back last season, but the Frenchman will be looking to change that during the upcoming campaign. This not only means Conte will have more depth in his squad, it also creates competition for Davies, meaning he will have to work even harder to keep his spot.
Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur made the move to Tottenham in January. Both settled in quickly and were able to make an immediate impact, which Conte will be hoping can be repeated with the summer arrivals, especially with a nearly full pre-season of preparation.
This is another benefit of Lenglet's loan. It gives both the player and his new club the chance to see how the Premier League works, or doesn't, for him.
There is hope that working in top facilities, with a world-class manager to give you training and advice, the French international will slot right in but only time will tell. Noel Whelan echoed this point and also told Football Insider why he believes the loan could be so beneficial.
"It’s a good way of doing business. You’ve got to see whether he’s up to scratch in the Premier League and whether he can gel into Antonio Conte’s style of play," he said.
"That loan gives Tottenham that comfort zone, doesn’t it? If it doesn’t work out, then Tottenham haven’t got that burden of paying a big fee for a player who hasn’t cut it.
"I think it makes complete sense. It’s now up to Lenglet to make it work and put in the performances. If he can do that, I’m sure the money will be straight over to Barcelona and he’ll come in on a permanent deal," he added.
As Whelan mentions, there isn't a large fee for Spurs to pay, if the season-long loan doesn't work out. Instead, it could pave way for them to go back in for Alessandro Bastoni. The Inter Milan defender was heavily linked with a move to N17 this summer, but everything pointed to the fact the 23-year-old wanted to stay with the Italian side.
If Bastoni doesn't sign a new deal with his current side in the next year, he will be out of contract next summer. football.london reported that Lenglet turned down a deal to move to Spurs last year, so if the French international's move doesn't work out at Tottenham, who is to say the same change in decision couldn't happen with Bastoni?
For now, Conte needs to focus on helping his new arrival settle in to life in a new country and with new teammates, once Spurs return from South Korea. The Italian has already provided some promising comments on his latest addition.
"A player who, in the last two years, didn't play with the right continuity, but for sure, I think he can give us a lot of experience and quality. Also, with three defenders, he can give us more to play out from the back," he told Spurs TV on Monday.
Lenglet clearly has potential and if anyone is going to get the best out of him, it is going to be Conte.
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