Inter director warns Antonio Conte against January transfer swoops
By Tom Gott
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has backed Antonio Conte to be a success at Tottenham Hotspur but has warned him not to try and recruit any of his former players in January.
Conte left reigning Serie A champions Inter during the summer and has since been confirmed as the replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked by Tottenham in the wake of the weekend's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United.
The transfer rumour mill has been going crazy ever since and Conte has been tipped to move for a number of Inter players in January, with Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar and Marcelo Brozovic three of many to be linked with moves to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Ausilio was having none of it.
"The intention is to move forward with this squad and in January no requests for possible transfers will be taken into consideration," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"We know this it is a team that has quality and that has a new coach who has taken over the group for a few months, so in the next transfer window we will only give continuity to what started in June. Then in the summer we will make other assessments, which will be the time to strengthen Inter, not to weaken."
However, he did take the chance to praise his former manager and wish him well on his return to the Premier League.
"I can say that I am happy, and I wish him the best for this new adventure," Ausilio said. "I know how pleased he is to be able to work in the Premier League, how much passion and how many skills he has, and I'm sure he will do well with Spurs."
Conte is expected to be backed over the coming transfer windows as Spurs look to counteract a run of five defeats in seven games which has left them ten points behind league leaders Chelsea and five shy of West Ham in fourth.
A new centre-back is likely to be on the agenda as Spurs prepare to shift to a three-man defence, but reports from Italy have claimed Conte is planning to shake up all areas of the squad.
At the back, Skriniar, De Vrij and Inter teammate Alessandro Bastoni have all been named as potential targets, as has Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt, but whether any would be interested in joining Spurs is unknown.
Brozovic and AC Milan's Franck Kessie have been suggested as midfield targets, while Fiorentina hitman Dusan Vlahovic is reported to be Conte's top target to bolster in attack.