As per a report by Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold, Antonio Conte blocked a loan move for Oliver Skipp, who was keen on leaving Tottenham Hotspur during the final days of the winter market.
The ex-Inter Milan boss’ decision stemmed from how much he values the youngster as a player.
While the English midfielder was injured at the start of the 2022/2023 season, he has merely started 3 Premier League games this season, which explains his desire to look for an exit.
Skipp wanted loan away from Tottenham, Conte blocked move
However, Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has reported that while Oliver Skipp was ‘open’ to leave Tottenham on loan, Antonio Conte decided to put a stop to any potential temporary exit involving him.
English clubs such as Fulham, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth were all ‘keen’ on the £49,000-a-week ace’s arrival in January.
However, Conte decided not to let Skipp depart on loan for 2 primary reasons.
One, the former Juventus manager rates the talented defensive midfielder highly. In addition to this, the Spurs boss was uneasy of letting him leave as he feels his side are already short in the central midfield department.
Skipp must prove his manager right by breaking into the Spurs XI
Keeping that in mind, Oliver Skipp could prove Antonio Conte right by standing out in training and subsequently, when started in games for Tottenham, making a potential loan exit a laughable thing to look back on.
While Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg has been quality throughout the season, he remains a dispensable player due to still not operating at a world-class level. Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma have shown positive signs but are yet to nail down their spots in the starting line-up.
With the 53-year-old praising Skipp’s ‘quality’ only until very recently, he could get the chance to turn his career around, provided he impresses the main man at the club.
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