Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici insists he is yet to discuss potential signings with new head coach Antonio Conte.
Conte succeeded Nuno Espirito Santo on Tuesday in a major coup for Spurs and the former Chelsea boss is expected to be given funds to revamp the squad in his image during the January transfer window and beyond.
Paratici, who was influential in recruiting Conte having worked with him at Juventus, deputised for his compatriot at a press conference on Wednesday because the Italian is still waiting for his working visa from the Home Office.
Asked if he had spoken to Conte about transfers, Paratici said: “Not at all. Because we trust a lot in our players. We are focused to be better, like a club, like a team.
“We haven’t spoken about [new] players, we have to be focused on our team and then we will see. I think the team is competitive, we trust in the players, we have very good players so we don’t speak about [new] players now. It is not the right time.”
Spurs may have to sell before they can spend significantly in January but Conte is expected to be able to make some signings in the winter window.
Two players who may fall within Spurs’ budget are Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic, who the club were interested in during the summer, and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.
Vlahovic is out of contract in 2023 and has turned down an extension, which could force Fiorentina to listen to offers for the Serbian.
Spurs manage transfers by committee, with Conte, Paratici, technical performance director Steve Hitchen and chairman Daniel Levy all giving input on targets.
Paratici praised Levy, who he said thinks about Spurs “24 hours a day” and has helped him settle in England after his move from Italy over the summer.
“He is a big president, he is a big person,” Paratici said. “He works hard. He thinks 24 hours [a day] about Tottenham, my relationship [with him] is very good. I am so happy to here and to have this kind of relationship with him and every everybody in this club.
“I have to thanks everybody because they helped me a lot in this four months. It was a big change for me, a big challenge. But I am really happy to be in the Premier League, to be in England, and am so excited to fight and build something important for this club that it deserves.”
