As per Daily Mirror reporter Darren Lewis, eight Tottenham players are now safe from Antonio Conte's axe after 'impressing' him behind the scenes.
The Lowdown: Conte sends stern message...
After Tottenham's humiliating 2-1 defeat to Slovenian minnows NS Mura in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, adding to their European woes in recent years, Conte sent a stern message.
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The Italian, seeking to guide Spurs back to the summit of European football over two years after Mauricio Pochettino's Champions League final run, explained that he is assessing his squad ahead of the January transfer window.
Speaking to the press, Conte lifted the lid on how he is currently making 'evaluations' over how deserves to be at Tottenham.
"We need players with the right mentality and with the quality, players that deserve to play for Tottenham and aspire to be competitive, to fight for this shirt, to win something," said the former Inter boss.
“I’m making my evaluations and then I’ll speak with the club.”
The Latest: Eight players safe...
Writing for The Mirror, reporter Lewis has revealed that eight more players are safe from his looming axe, but most 'if not all' of the others squad members are fighting for their futures at the club.
He explains that Sergio Reguilon, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp have all 'impressed' Conte behind the scenes - with Ryan Sessegnon also expected to be given more chances despite his red card in midweek.
The Verdict: Interesting claim...
Most of these names, like Reguilon, Dier, Lucas, Hojbjerg, Tanganga and Skipp have all arguably impressed at some point this season, leaving little surprise Conte favours them.
However, one surprise names in this list is arguably Davies, mainly because he has attracted real criticism for some of his displays this season.
Perhaps the Wales international's experience, plus versatility as both a left-back and left-sided centre-back, has landed him in good stead with Conte.
As this interesting claim emerges, Spurs fans will be watching on eagerly to see if this crop of players become mainstays under their new manager.
In other news: 'Coming from Tottenham'...Journalist drops exciting transfer claim with 'biggest offer' on the table, find out more here.