Spurs still paying price for Levy's 2017 blunder over £53m "animal", Conte isn't happy - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur are still paying the price for one of chairman Daniel Levy’s key decisions.

In July 2017, the Spurs supremo sanctioned the exit of right-back Kyle Walker to Premier League rivals Manchester City, a move that saw the north London outfit earn around £53m with add-ons included.

It means the Lilywhites brought in a return in their investment of at least 430% after the England international joined the club in a double deal alongside Kyle Naughton from Sheffield United for around £10m.

Spurs had just finished runners-up to title-winners Chelsea in the season earlier and were very close to becoming champions themselves under Mauricio Pochettino a season earlier with Walker a key part of the squad.

Since then, the right-back role has been something of a nightmare for every manager since – ranging from Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo to now Conte, who arguably values the position higher than most due to his system utilising wing-backs as key attacking components.

Serge Aurier, academy product Kyle Walker-Peters, Matt Doherty and now Emerson Royal have all failed to convince the man in the dugout that they should be the long-term option in the role…

The latter two remain the Italian’s only two current senior options and it’s rather damning that he wanted to find a replacement during the January transfer window, something that he did not receive.

Indeed, as per The Times, Conte is unconvinced by the pair, especially in the final third, where he needs his wing-back to contribute creatively. As such, Adama Traore emerged as a key target but he instead opted for boyhood club Barcelona.

It’s something that the 52-year-old and sporting director Fabio Paratici can only rectify in the summer and that’s if Conte hasn’t