Matt Doherty plans to stay and fight for his place at Tottenham despite Antonio Conte being poised to bring in right wing-back Djed Spence.
Spence appears set to become Conte's sixth signing of the transfer window, joining Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Richarlison and loanee Clement Lenglet.
Reports suggest the England Under-21 international will move in a transfer worth in the region of £20million, including add-ons, from Middlesbrough after impressing for Nottingham Forest in a loan spell.
Spence competed for the most duels (508) in the 2021-22 Championship season among defenders, while also attempting (187) and completing (76) the most dribbles in the same group.
An effective presence at both ends of the pitch, Spence helped Forest return to the highest level of English football for the first time in 23 years, and will likely face Steve Cooper's side with Spurs next term.
The 21-year-old will aim to displace Conte's other options at the position, Doherty and Emerson Royal, but the Republic of Ireland international will not give up his first-team spot without a fight.
"There's a lot of competition and that's never a bad thing, it brings everybody's standards up, makes everybody train properly, train hard and that's what you want," Doherty told reporters.
"You want to earn your position on merit. You don't want it handed to you. We're all competitors and that's what we want. We want to fight against each other and get a place."
Asked specifically about his future at the Premier League club, Doherty responded: "Of course. I haven't been told otherwise. My plan is to stay and fight for my place.
"We've got an exciting season ahead. Why would I want to go anywhere else?"
Conte will require a larger squad to rotate across the English top flight and Champions League in the 2022-23 season, with Doherty, Emerson and Spence likely to be utilised in different competitions.
Doherty insists his focus for now, though, revolves around building up his fitness after impressing in the second half of the season following Conte's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"I was in for a lot of the summer because I had to rehab my knee," he added. "For the first two weeks when everybody left I was in doing rehab with weekends off, out on the pitch doing ball work and fitness work.
"I didn't have a choice. I had to be in. I wanted to be back for pre-season ready to go. I had a week away and then came in for a day.
"I had three weeks off in a row but I came in during the second week for a couple of days and in again during the third week for a couple of days. I made sure I was ready to go.
"You can only feel in so much good shape once you start all that running but I feel OK. I might need to give my knee a little bit of time, that’s normal.
"The more you train and the more reps you get it will go away. I can see that. Sometimes it will bother me and the longer the week goes it will ease off."
Conte fumes at VAR after 1-1 draw with Inter
Antonio Conte was frustrated that VAR did not reverse a penalty decision against Napoli as they played out a 1-1 draw with Inter on Sunday.
Hakan Calhanoglu failed to convert the spot kick in question late in the game, with the Turkish international having equalised for the hosts after Scott McTominay's opener.
Despite the decision not affecting the result in the end, Conte criticised VAR for not overruling the referee's decision to penalise Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for a foul on Denzel Dumfries.
"Can they [VAR] only intervene when it suits them? A decision from the referee like this can transform a match and VAR cannot do anything about it," Conte told DAZN.
"Either VAR is there to correct errors or it is not. If there is an error, it has to intervene. It really angers me, but it does to all coaches. It has to intervene if there is a mistake.
"If there is VAR, it must be used to correct errors or show the referee situations that he did not see. If it's a clear error, and it was, then why should [referee Maurizio] Mariani be allowed to just do that."
Despite his frustration with refereeing decisions, Conte was satisfied with his team's performance, as they held strong against a spirited second-half display from the Italian champions.
"I said that we would not come here to just be sparring partners against the strongest squad in Serie A, so it was important for us to face them with strength, character, accepting duels all over the field," he said.
"On that score, I am very satisfied. It was not easy to play here. We all know that we are making improvements and working hard, otherwise, you don't come to San Siro twice and also against Juventus without defeat.
"The lads are proving themselves, though, of course, we could've done much, much more in terms of quality today. There were too many errors, a lot of technical errors, but I am sure there will be further improvements."
Napoli's point ensured they stayed top of Serie A heading into the international break, moving them to 26 points in what is shaping up to be a tight title race. Conte's side sit one point clear of Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter and Lazio.
'It's been a long time,' says McKenna after Ipswich stun Tottenham for first league win
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna said it was a 'special' moment for the club after they earned their first Premier League win of the season by beating Tottenham 2-1.
Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap scored for Ipswich before half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Though Tottenham reduced the deficit through Rodrigo Bentancur in the 69th minute, the Tractor Boys held on for a famous win.
It was also Ipswich's first win in the Premier League since a 1-0 victory over Middlesborough in April 2002, ending a run of 12 away games without a win (D3 L9).
"I am so proud. It's been a long time for the club, 22 years since the supporters saw a win in the Premier League. The journey to get to here has been a big one," McKenna told BBC Sport after the game.
"It feels a bit special today. We believe we’ve been improving. We had picked up five out of 10 results but were waiting for the first win to validate the work and improvements. It’s a massive moment, one to cherish."
The result was extra special for an Ipswich side, who were denied a win by Leicester City last week through a 94th-minute equaliser from Jordan Ayew, who made it 1-1 at Portman Road.
But Szmodics and Delap – the latter with his sixth Premier League goal of the season – struck in the first half to give Ipswich a two-goal cushion.
'It's just down to me,' says Postecoglou after Tottenham beaten by Ipswich Town
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou took full responsibility after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to previously winless Ipswich Town in the Premier League.
Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap gave Ipswich a 2-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs fell short, despite Rodrigo Bentancur returning a goal in the second half.
It was Tottenham's third defeat in their last five matches across all competitions and leaves Postecoglou's side in 10th place in the Premier League with 16 points from 11 matches.
"It's hugely disappointing. We started slow and passively. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. In the second half, we had chances but didn’t do enough to win the game," the Australian coach told BBC Sport after the game.
His side had also suffered a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday.
The hosts generated an xG of 1.82 on Sunday with five shots on target from 17 attempts, but were unable to take anything from the game.
"It's just down to me, I’m not getting consistent performances from the players. It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge, so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility," said Postecoglou.
"We can’t give ourselves those kind of mountains to climb."
When asked about Ipswich's time-wasting tactics, Postecoglou said it is something his players will have to deal with.
"It seems to be the way the Premier League is going. Clubs are taking strategic time-outs. We just have to cop it. It’s up to the officials, not me," he said.
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