Tottenham make late-window bid for midfielder Antonio Conte’s captivated by
Tottenham certainly had an eventful winter transfer window under Thomas Frank.
Although Frank is under pressure, he was given full trust by the board over the handling of recruitment in N17.
Brennan Johnson moved to Crystal Palace for £35million, while Irish youngster Mason Melia joined Tottenham for a fee of £1.6m.
Santos left-back Souza was bought by Spurs for £13m, and the most notable deal of the window was Conor Gallagher’s £34m move from Atletico Madrid.
However, Tottenham were still on the lookout for an attacker, and it has now emerged that they were after someone former manager Antonio Conte is a huge fan of.
Tottenham made a late offer for Antonio Vergara
Napoli’s Antonio Vergara is a right winger who can play in multiple positions, and he has enjoyed a breakout week in football.
The 23-year-old previously spent two seasons on loan at Serie B side Reggiana and was on the periphery of Conte‘s squad this campaign, but had to play in a decisive Champions League match against Chelsea on 28 January due to Napoli’s growing injury list.
Vergara ended up scoring his first goal for his boyhood club by completing a sensational ‘Maradona turn’ and slotting the ball past Robert Sanchez.
| Stat | Vergara |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 11 |
| Touches | 53 |
Italian media outlet Tuttosport reported that Spurs made a £17.3million (€20m) bid for Vergara after his stunning goal against Liam Rosenior’s side.
However, Napoli responded to the offer by saying that the Italian isn’t for sale, despite their subsequent elimination from the Champions League after losing 3-2 to Chelsea.
Vergara then scored in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina, and it’s no shock that Spurs wanted to test the waters with a low offer before his value rises in the summer.
The former Spurs boss won the league with Napoli last season, but has struggled to replicate the title-winning form this campaign.
What has Antonio Conte said about Vergara?
Speaking ahead of a match against FC Copenhagen on 20 January, Conte addressed why Vergara was starting, despite being incredibly inexperienced at the top level of Italian football.
He said: “Vergara deserves it; he deserves it more than others, so he plays.
“I am for meritocracy; I choose whoever deserves it. It doesn’t matter to me if he is 18 or 35; age doesn’t matter. I made my Serie A debut at 16.
“It means he is in better shape than others, so he plays rather than others. I told him if I choose him in the starting XI, it means we believe in him.”
Whether Tottenham go back in for Vergara during the summer remains to be seen.
But if he continues to play with the same level of confidence, then Frank’s side won’t be the only club that’s interested in him.