Tottenham Hotspur academy product Japhet Tanganga has revealed that Antonio Conte wants to utilise him as a central defender, rather than on the right flank.
Tanganga has operated as both a centre back and a right-back since he made his Premier League debut against Liverpool at the start of 2020, which has hampered his consistency.
The 23-year-old has now recovered after missing the end of last season after having to undergo surgery 0n his right knee (Spurs official) and is currently in South Korea with the rest of Antonio Conte’s squad as they begin their pre-season preparations.
Tanganga has also been the subject of transfer speculation with AC Milan said to be one of the clubs keen on his services (Gianluca Di Marzio).
The Hackney-born product has admitted that Conte would prefer to utilise him as a central defender who can operate on either the left or right side of a defensive trio.
Speaking to Football.London at a Tottenham Hotspur Global Football development session in Korea, Tanganga explained what Conte’s plans are for him in a postional manner: “He sees me as one of the centre-backs, either right or left. That’s the position he gives me the most information in and tells me what to do,”
“Of course, you saw against Norwich that I can play in the right wing-back role if needed. I think he sees me in those roles though either side of the middle defender in the back three.”
Our View
Tanganga is a strong and physical defender. He has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League but he needs regular football with injury issues having hampered his development.
He can be an ideal fit in Conte’s system with his short passing and dribbling coming to the fore. But, he needs to work on his tackling as it is the lack of timing that often gets him into trouble.
