Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold has dropped an update regarding Clement Lenglet's future at the north London club. 

The Lowdown: Spurs' swoop for Lenglet

The Lilywhites signed the defender on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona during the previous summer transfer window.

Since then, the Frenchman has made 14 appearances for Antonio Conte's side across all competitions, chipping in with one goal and one assist.

Now that domestic football has taken a back seat to make way for the World Cup in Qatar, it seems that the topic of Lenglet's long-term future has come to the forefront.

The Latest: Gold's update on Lenglet

In a recent online Q&A on the Football.London website, Gold was asked whether or not Spurs had an option to buy Lenglet once his loan spell comes to an end.

He said: "No there isn't and the Frenchman told me during pre-season that Spurs had not mentioned a permanent move down the line when he signed but he said that 'we'll speak more later' if he adapts to the Premier League as he hopes. Spurs will have to negotiate a deal as the season progresses if they are impressed with his contribution.

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"It's a strange one not to negotiate an option in the first place because if he does impress then his value shoots up. It points towards it being a temporary move which will look odd if Lenglet does become a big success."

The Verdict: A decision for Conte

Across the eight league games he's played in for Spurs this season, the 27-year-old, who club expert John Wenham thinks deserves "huge" credit for his performances, has shown how much of a useful defensive figure he can be.

For example, in addition to making 12 clearances and a combined total of 14 tackles and interceptions, Lenglet has also racked up the joint third-highest passing accuracy percentage (88%) and percentage of aerial duels won (66.7%) at the club.

Despite not always being at the top of the pecking order for Conte, the £145k-per-week on-loan defender has shown what he can offer the team and what his strengths are.

With that in mind, if Lenglet can take any opportunity that comes his way when the season starts again, he could give the manager and the club a big question to ask themselves over whether or not they feel a permanent transfer for the defender would be a suitable move.