Ahead of their first pre-season game in South Korea, the sight of the exhausted Spurs players greeted everyone present at their training sessions, with video clips going around on social media.

 

Conte defended his methods ahead of Spurs’ final friendly against Roma in Tel Aviv before the season opener against Southampton at home.

 

 

The Italian tactician termed the training sessions normal by his standards and dismissed the notion that they were intense, though it remains to be seen if the results in coming months will reflect well on the preparations.

 

Maybe for you it’s intensive. It’s normal for me”, Conte said at a press conference in Tel Aviv.

 

 

Conte has notably left several players off the trip to Israel in a further sign they are surplus to requirements and stressed that the club are looking for solutions to give them the game-time they crave but in other locations.

 

I think that we spoke with the club and the players are informed about the plans for next season”, he added.

 

 

We are talking about really good players and the club and I, we think they deserve to play games regularly.

 

“For this reason these players are not here.”

 

Spurs have been active in the transfer market this summer as they look to build on a fourth-place finish at the end of the 2021/22 season.