Here is the complete transcript of our Tottenham Hotspur Q&A with Alasdair Gold, our Spurs correspondent, who answered your questions about the club.
michaelglovercoys: “Which Spurs players do you think will shine at the World Cup?”
Alasdair says: “All of them have the potential to stand out. I’d love Sonny to have a big World Cup for South Korea and Rodrigo Bentancur and Harry Kane will come into the tournament in good form, albeit a bit knackered. I want all of the 11 Tottenham players there to make their mark and come back without injuries and for the Welsh players it’s going to be an incredible experience after so long since their country’s last appearance.”
Svarog: “Is anyone in the club thinking the right wing-back position is a big problem in the current squad? If so are there any plans to address that in January?”
Alasdair says: “It all depends on what Conte decides. Much rests on his call when it comes to Djed Spence. He’s going to get to work with all three right wing-backs during this break and that will allow him and the coaches plenty of tactical training time with the 22-year-old.
“If Conte decides that Spence is still not going to get much game time in the second half of the season then it’s better for all parties if he gets a loan to a Premier League club to continue to develop. If that happens then Conte is left at square one with Emerson and Doherty as his right wing-backs, a situation that the club was looking to change in the summer. In that scenario, surely they would have to look at right wing-back options and move one of those two players on if possible.”
michaelglovercoys: “Which Spurs players do you think will shine at the World Cup?”
Alasdair says: “All of them have the potential to stand out. I’d love Sonny to have a big World Cup for South Korea and Rodrigo Bentancur and Harry Kane will come into the tournament in good form, albeit a bit knackered. I want all of the 11 Tottenham players there to make their mark and come back without injuries and for the Welsh players it’s going to be an incredible experience after so long since their country’s last appearance.”
Svarog: “Is anyone in the club thinking the right wing-back position is a big problem in the current squad? If so are there any plans to address that in January?”
Alasdair says: “It all depends on what Conte decides. Much rests on his call when it comes to Djed Spence. He’s going to get to work with all three right wing-backs during this break and that will allow him and the coaches plenty of tactical training time with the 22-year-old.
“If Conte decides that Spence is still not going to get much game time in the second half of the season then it’s better for all parties if he gets a loan to a Premier League club to continue to develop. If that happens then Conte is left at square one with Emerson and Doherty as his right wing-backs, a situation that the club was looking to change in the summer. In that scenario, surely they would have to look at right wing-back options and move one of those two players on if possible.”
“I’d hope the investment in the team will naturally grow along with their progress. There seems to be much more of a push to make it a Tottenham Hotspur that’s about all the teams under the club’s banner.
“Just walking around the training ground I see far more of the women’s squad and staff than ever before and that’s so important when you think about where they’ve come from, loosely connected with the club when they were down the football pyramid. Now they’re on their way to becoming an established Women’s Super League side and that’s a testament to the early work put in by those around the team and then later the club started to bring them properly under their umbrella and hopefully, that will only be the start.
“Spurs had good phases of play in today’s match at Stamford Bridge, but you could see the quality Chelsea have as a more established side fighting at the top of the women’s game. That’s the aim of Tottenham.
michaelglovercoys: “Who has been your favorite manager to question in press conferences?”
Alasdair says: “I’ve enjoyed questioning them all. I obviously grew to know Mauricio Pochettino’s ways well over the three years or so that I spoke to him. Ryan Mason was very straight-talking but was clearly a passionate chap. Jose Mourinho was good with me and always gave interesting answers, while Nuno Espirito Santo was a challenge but that added to the fun of the press conferences.
“Antonio Conte has been great so far. He can repeat himself on occasions if he feels something hasn’t gotten across, but he’s very honest and incisive with his answers. I’ve been very lucky that all the managers I’ve questioned at Spurs have tried to give me good, long answers. They know my questions will often be a bit different to the national angle and sometimes that means they’re not as well prepared for them.”
SimonBadger: “Are you worried that our current defense can’t function without constant coaching and micro-management from Conte?”
Alasdair says: “Most defenses need constant tactical coaching and that’s something Conte hasn’t been able to work on during this mad run of 13 matches in 43 days. As the season opens up slightly in the second half of the season – at times – you should see them better drilled and Spurs will look for another center-back this January if they can get someone of the required standard to improve what they’ve got.”
seanyspurs61: “Antony Gordon only makes sense as a homegrown player? Is Antonio serious about this acquisition? His stats are underwhelming.”
Alasdair says: “He’s only 21 years old and has 10 direct goal involvements from his first 63 Premier League appearances. I think he’s a talented young player who has been trying to make an impression on a team that has struggled in the past couple of seasons. He’s scored more than a quarter of Everton’s goals in the league this season.
“As you say Spurs do also have to keep an eye on homegrown numbers as well. They’re at the limit of foreign players in the Champions League squad and they need to bolster their British numbers.
“However, Gordon could be such a talent and Spurs do need to look to the future. He’s only 21 and he’s already an established Premier League player with so much potential. It’s often easier to look at foreign players who have done well in other leagues without really questioning how easily they will adapt to the very different English game.”
AdamJamesHarris: “Could Spurs go for Maddison in January? Can play in a front three or three in midfield, homegrown and contract-expiring. Ticks all the boxes surely?”
Alasdair says: “Spurs have had a long-held interest in Maddison although those within the club strenuously denied any links to him during the summer. He still has 18 months left on his contract so I don’t think he would come with a particularly reduced price tag in January.
“I think he’d be superb at Spurs if he wanted to come, but I’d be surprised if Leicester let him go after the World Cup without an astronomical bid. Next summer, if he hasn’t signed a new contract, seems the more logical time for him to move on.”
SimonBadger: “Is there any purchase option in the Clement Lenglet loan deal? Seems a good player to keep around.”
Alasdair says: “No there isn’t and the Frenchman told me during pre-season that Spurs had not mentioned a permanent move down the line when he signed but he said that ‘we’ll speak more later if he adapts to the Premier League as he hopes. Spurs will have to negotiate a deal as the season progresses if they are impressed with his contribution.
“It’s a strange one not to negotiate an option in the first place because if he does impress then his value shoots up. It points towards it being a temporary move which will look odd if Lenglet does become a big success.”
Jay: “If a good enough offer comes in from Bayern regarding Kane and Son, is it time to let them go providing it can allow us to overhaul all the areas of the pitch we are lacking?”
Alasdair says: “No. You shouldn’t sell world-class players. There’s rebuilding and then there’s removing two of the Premier League’s best from your team. Build around them with similar quality. Also, the Bayern links make no real sense to me with Kane. He’s already stated he doesn’t want to move abroad and he wants Shearer’s Premier League record.”
QuintilianBNasty: “How is Joe Rodon playing for Rennes, and what are the chances he comes back to Spurs and contributes?”
Alasdair says: “He was doing well, had a good run of performances in a team flying high but then he got a red card that saw him suspended for a game and had the flu after that so he was unused in four matches in a row in Ligue 1, but played in Europe.
“Rennes have the option to buy Rodon so you would expect they’ll take it if he comes back from the World Cup, impresses in Qatar, and starts regularly again in France because he’ll be worth more than the 20m euros they’ll pay for him.”
alexd2: “What do Spurs need to do in terms of strengthening the squad and position of Conte that he needs? When are we going to expect a meeting between Levy, Paratici, and Conte?”
Alasdair says: “Personally I think an attacking midfielder and a center-back are priorities plus any upgrades Spurs can find in the market. As I said below, a right-wing-back might end up becoming a requirement depending on Conte’s decision when it comes to Djed Spence.
“The meeting between Conte, Levy, and Paratici should happen after the head coach returns on November 28 when first team training resumes at Hotspur Way. Paratici and Conte speak most days so you would imagine they will still have some dialogue even during this rest period for the latter at some point.”
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