What could Tottenham Hotspur's winter transfer window look like?

The winter transfer window is looming around the corner. This presents Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte with a chance to tweak the squad that he inherited when he took over in November.

It's not like Conte could get significant transfers done given that players and clubs prefer to make big moves in the summer. But adding a player here and there and letting fringe players go out on loan/sold would be on his mind.

Let's dig right in to see what the 2022 winter transfer window has in store for Tottenham Hotspur.

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1) Should Tottenham Hotspur loan/sell players?

Dele Alli looks all but set to leave Tottenham Hotspur on loan this window

Tottenham Hotspur will go into the winter transfer window keeping in mind that they have a couple of players that they'd like to release.

Spurs are now willing to let Dele Alli go out on loan. The 25-year-old was subject to two loan offers from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window. They were both outright rejected by Tottenham Hotspur owner Daniel Levy. However, having a contract until 2024, a loan move is now more plausible than a direct sale.

Having Emerson Royal and the versatile Japhet Tanganga as competition for the right-wing back spot could well mean it's time up for Matt Doherty. He offers little going forward and is not as reliable a defender as Royal. Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to find a new club for him and collect some funds.

Steven Bergwijn is another name to come up for a possible loan move this winter transfer window. He has played little under Conte, but the Italian will continue to assess him in the coming days.

Keeping the World Cup 2022 in mind, the Dutch international would be open to a loan move to get regular playing time under his belt. Ajax seems like the likely destination for Bergwijn.

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2) What does the future hold for Lo Celso and Ndombele?

Could Lo Celso and Ndombele leave during the winter transfer window?

When Spurs play a 3-5-2 formation, it gives Giovani Le Celso or Tanguy Ndombele the chance to come in and provide that extra creativity in midfield. With the 3-4-3 formation, not so much.

Antonio Conte did switch to a 3-4-3 formation during the beginning of his spell. It looked temporary but has been going back to the formation lately.

To be fair, the 3-5-2 formation did work well for Spurs. Should Conte look into it, it could eventually mean more game time for the duo. However, if he is to stick with 3-4-3, the pair must make a decision.

3) How does the keeper situation look like?

Lloris considered a love away from Spurs this summer

Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris is expected to sign a new contract in the coming weeks. The French international did think, at one point, during the summer of leaving Spurs and going to Rome. His current contract expires at the end of this season. However, there is a growing belief that the player will put his signature on a contract extension.

This then puts the Pierluigi Gollini in perspective, who is on loan from Atalanta this summer. He hasn't been able to displace Lloris from the No. 1 spot apart from the few appearances in cup games.

However, Tottenham Hotspur do have the option of signing Gollini for £13 million at the end of this season. The club must have thought of something when including this clause in the loan deal, given that Lloris turns 35 on Boxing Day. There is also a direct obligation to buy the Atalanta player should he make 20 appearances this season. He is on eight so far. With Spurs out of the UEFA Conference League, it seems unlikely he will reach that number.

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4) Spurs in hunt for a new srtiker/forward player?

Spurs tried to sign Traore during the summer transfer window

Another forward player could be on the radar for Spurs next month. Names like Allain Saint-Maximin and Adama Traore have come up in the past.

Kevin Phillips claimed it would be the right move for Saint-Maximin to move to Spurs.

He told Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs:

“You could see him going to Tottenham. From their point of view, he’d be a great signing."

How much of that move would still be realistic after the Saudi Arabia takeover is still anyone's guess, but I believe it would be unlikely.

As for Traore, his name came up during the summer transfer window when the future of Harry Kane was still up in the air. Spurs tried to sign him to reunite him with then manager Nuno Espirito Santo over the summer. It seemed as though the deal would be done before Wolves pulled the plug late on.

However, given that all three - Kane, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura - are now solid in their position, a backup striker or a youngster seems more realistic. Spurs could go in search of a striker in the summer. Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic has been consistently linked with a move to the north London side.