Antonio Conte has reportedly promoted young Tottenham defender Tobi Omole to first-team training ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with leaders Manchester City.
Spurs’ defensive troubles have been compounded in recent times, with calamitous mistakes costing them dearly in home defeats to Southampton and Wolves – results that have left Conte unhappy with the strength of his squad after the January window.
Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies have been the main two culprits, with Eric Dier expected to return from injury against City.
But Conte is also looking at other options and has turned to the club’s Under-23s for a potential answer.
All Nigeria Soccer claims that Omole could be included in the matchday squad for the game. The 22-year-old has already appeared three times on the bench this term but only once in the league.
The former Arsenal starlet has been a regular for the Under-23s side though, featuring 15 times in Premier League 2.
Omole currently has only four months remaining on his contract. However, if he gets a chance to shine then he could secure himself a fresh one.
The centre-back, who can also play in midfield, is known for his ability on the ball. He also reads the game very well.
However, it’s highly unlikely that Conte will promote him anything higher than bench duty for the City game.
Indeed, there is a feeling that the Italian could actually use a back four at The Etihad. Conte will want to shut down the spaces in Tottenham’s leaky defence.
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Tottenham target favours overseas switch
Meanwhile, major Tottenham summer target Jesse Lingard could snub a switch to north London because he would ‘prefer to move abroad’.
The Manchester United attacking midfielder will be out of contract in the summer, leading a number of top clubs to show interest in snapping up his talents on a bargain free transfer.
Newcastle and West Ham were especially keen to land the 29-year-old in January. However, their efforts were knocked back by the Red Devils, with Ralf Rangnick wanting to keep the player as a decent bench option.
Spurs are also known to have ‘made contact’ with Lingard’s representatives about a summer deal.
But according to football.london, the player is indicating that a switch abroad is his first option.
Lingard has been rarely seen in United colours this season, playing just 106 minutes of Premier League football in total.
And with a World Cup in Qatar on the horizon later this year, the England star wants to be back playing to force a return to Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Lingard has won 32 caps for the Three Lions. He’s also proved to be a pivotal figure for Gareth Southgate in the past.
Lingard’s England hopes in the balance
However, even his outstanding loan spell at West Ham last season wasn’t enough to get in the Euro 2020 squad.
That appears to suggest that Lingard needs a higher-profile switch to prove he is still capable of producing at the top level.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are on the lookout for a number of new recruits this summer. And at least two of them could arrive on free transfers.
Serie A duo Franck Kessie and Paulo Dybala continue to be linked with moves to north London. However, it appears that the chances of Lingard joining them are now incredibly slim.
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