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Alasdair Gold

When Antonio Conte will return and if Tottenham will sign Bastoni and Maddison in the summer

xendy: "Is there any sign of Antonio Conte returning to the club any time soon?"

Alasdair says: "The decision over whether Antonio Conte would be back for the Manchester City game was made on Saturday night which means it was a close enough call to leave it that late rather than simply rule it out. He wasn't back at Hotspur Way as of Tuesday as he continues to recover but I understand it's likely that he'll be back in time for the match at Leicester."

Jack00: "Do you think the club will go all out for Alessandro Bastoni again in the summer? I know you've mentioned two new centre-backs being the top priority and he seems to be the favourite outside of Gvardiol who I now sadly think is out of our price range?"

Alasdair says: "Much depends on these new contract talks and whether Bastoni signs on at Inter again. Spurs have retained their interest in the Italy international and he is still among their top summer targets. Of course, with just a year left on his contract at that point, his price tag also drops a fair bit."

READ MORE: Pedro Porro illness, what Kane asked Conte on the phone, funny Lucas and Emerson's fitting post

brockf: "I know that you said in early January that Spurs were monitoring Tetê, who has now moved to Leicester and looked brilliant on his debut. He’s a player I’ve really taken a shine to, and I was wondering how serious Spurs’ interest was in him. Is he simply just a player that we’re monitoring, or could we go one step further in the summer?"

Alasdair says: "I know Fabio Paratici has been a big admirer of Tete for a little while. Perhaps the short-term nature of the deal is why Spurs did not get involved now and like you say perhaps they look again in the summer, depending on what the future holds for Paratici."

AlexStylianou: "Will we be looking at James Maddison in the summer and in general homegrown players for our priority positions?"

Alasdair says: "I'd be surprised if Spurs aren't one of those looking at James Maddison in the summer, especially if he still has only a year left on his contract at that point. At the moment, with Djed Spence on loan at Rennes, they only have seven of the eight homegrown spots filled by senior players in their European squad. It's definitely an area that needs addressing in the summer whoever they end up targeting. Tottenham definitely like Marc Guehi, and like Maddison, I'd expect there will be plenty of competition for his signature if Palace decide to sell. "

teltalksyt: "Do you feel there could be some rotation vs Leicester with Milan next week? Kulusevski perhaps?"

Alasdair says: "It's a tough call because both games are big. Perhaps having the second European game at home means you could rotate for the Milan match. The Italian side are without a win since January 4, having lost five games and drawn two.

"The whole point of improving Spurs' squad was because Conte wanted to be able to change up his team without dropping the quality level. These two games will provide the first real test of the fully fit squad as Conte tries to find the right blend of players."

BobbeP: "Is rotation the answer after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Kane Kane got a lengthy rest period and then came the City display?"

Alasdair says: "It's certainly no coincidence that the team looked really fit and sharp with such a long rest for some of the key players and there was plenty of pressing from the front. As I said below, the squad is stronger now and Conte has to make use of rotation to ensure he gets more performances like that."

isaacngugi: "Do you think it will be Davinson Sanchez taking the place of suspended Romero?"

Alasdair says: "I think that's probably the most logical change as Spurs were really happy with the Colombian's display in leading the line against Preston and he came on and was solid in those final eight minutes on Sunday when the team needed him after Romero had seen red.

"The other options are Lenglet coming in with Dier switching to the right but after one of the latter's best performances this season it would seem odd to unsettle him immediately afterwards.

"The other option is to play Emerson on the right of the back three and hand Porro his debut, but you would think that Sanchez is the more natural replacement for Romero."

johnnh: "Considering that shouldn't have been Romero's first red this season, how do you think the coaches can 'fix' his recklessness without losing his edge?"

Alasdair says: "It's a difficult one. Romero's aggressive front foot defending is definitely part of what makes him such a good defender but you can coach him when it's the right time to dive in and when not to. Yes, he's (Sunday aside) good at stopping himself getting the red cards, but why can't he just maintain that discipline throughout the game? He picks up far too many yellow cards, other than in the period after Conte gave him a public rebuke for it. He's had six yellow cards in the past six games alone. Romero has the ability to be one of the best defenders in the world but he needs to have the discipline to match it."

NepalSpurs: "Which manager deserves the greatest credit for Kane's career - Poch - for the trust, Mourinho - over all play and added the coming deep to provide that killer pass, Conte - took fitness to next level?"

Alasdair says: "They've all played a big part in his development but I'd have to say Pochettino for developing him in those early years into one of the Premier League and Europe's best. The others helped Kane refine that."

chris2929: "Any insight on Spurs pre-season tour this summer in US? Any idea on cities, tournaments?"

Alasdair says: "There were early suggestions of a US tour being planned last summer for 2023 but that's not been confirmed since. It may well end up being elsewhere."

jpostalwaite: "What do you think will happen first, Harry Kane breaking Shearer's record, Spurs winning a trophy, or two consecutive normal and un-crazy weeks at Tottenham Hotspur?"

Alasdair says: "Definitely one of the first two options."

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