Antonio Conte has now told Joe Rodon that he will have to compete with Eric Dier for a spot in Tottenham Hotspur’s side, according to Football London.
Behind the scenes talks
Rodon has struggled for game time at Spurs ever since he was bought by Jose Mourinho at the start of last season.
There was hope that Conte’s three-man defence could see Rodon given increased minutes in Tottenham’s team.
However, it seems that both wide centre-back roles are now off limits to him.
Conte wants him to battle with Dier for a place in the centre of the defence, but it seems unlikely that he will be able to displace the England international.
When is the next chance coming?
Rodon actually made his first appearance for Tottenham under Conte last night, but was part of the side who lost to NS Mura.
Rodon was hooked off before the hour mark, as Spurs tried to fight their way back into the game.
He actually wasn’t as bad as centre-back partner, Davinson Sanchez, on the evening, but that is very much feint praise, and he hardly did enough to force his way into contention.
With Conte already said to be planning to bring in two new central defenders in January (Transfer Window Podcast), the omens don’t look good for Rodon.
And it is difficult to see when his next game will actually come, given Spurs’ disastrous display yesterday.
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