Antonio Conte says who decided Lucas Moura’s future at Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has told Football.London that he is disappointed that he has not been able to make use of Lucas Moura more often this season.

Conte has raved about the Brazil international winger, and he has made it clear that it was Tottenham’s decision not to keep him at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium beyond the end of the season, not his.

The £23 million (BBC Sport) is out of contract at Spurs in the summer of 2023, and the Premier League club have decided not to trigger the option to extend it by another year.

So, Lucas will leave on a free transfer next summer, as reported by The Sun.

Antonio Conte on Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Moura

Conte said about Lucas: “You know this is a decision of the club and for sure this season is a difficult season for Lucas but at the same time for us. Honestly, in my mind when we planned the season Lucas was an important player for us.

“But if you see from he start of the season until now Lucas played maybe one game, also with pain in the Champions League against Marseille and also not the whole game with us.

“First of all I think the damage is for me and the team. A player like Lucas is a good player. Also last season he helped us reach the Champions League.

“In my mind, my plan was to have him in my squad but we didn’t have possibility to use him because of the injuries. It was really difficult this season especially because it happened twice that Kulusevski and Richarlison were both injured.

“To face this wasn’t easy. Then if you ask about the decision of the club, I respect the decision of the club.”

Sensible decision?

In our view, Tottenham Hotspur have made the right decision not to keep Lucas Moura beyond the end of the season.

From a business perspective, it did not make sense for Spurs to hand a new contract to a 30-year-old player who has been troubled by injury problems and has not been able to make a huge impact.

Lucas has made eight substitute appearances in the Premier League, and has made two starts and one substitute appearance in the UEFA Champions League for Spurs so far this campaign.