Forgotten Tottenham star favours return to Spain over Juventus

A pattern appears to be emerging in the career of Tottenham Hotspur full-back Sergio Reguilon and it is one he’ll be looking to break as soon as possible.

Reguilon fell out of favour at his previous club Real Madrid, whom he signed from for £27m, with then-manager Zinedine Zidane adjudging the Spaniard as surplus to requirements.

Jose Mourinho, the Tottenham head coach at the time, insisted on his acquisition and fought off interest from Manchester United in doing so.

The 25-year-old was recruited under the proviso that he’d offer an attack-minded profile which the Lilywhites lacked with pre-existing options Ben Davies and the inexperienced Ryan Sessegnon.

After a steady first campaign in North London, the recently concluded 2021/22 season was poised to be one in which he pushed on and further established his place in the starting line-up.

Competition for the left-back spot was unchanged from his arrival but a change in management saw Reguilon take a step back, sparking déjà vu from his time in the Spanish capital.

Sergio Reguilon falls out of favour with Antonio Conte

The majority of the Tottenham squad seemed to thrive under newly appointed Antonio Conte following Nuno Espirito-Santo’s premature tenure in charge.

Quite the opposite ensued for Sergio Reguilon, however. The Italian manager expectedly implemented his preferred 3-4-3 formation which relies heavily on wing-backs as opposed to a traditional full-back.

Ryan Sessegnon, who had previously struggled to make an impact since arriving from Fulham as a teenager, appeared to suit this role more naturally.

Reguilon, although a forward-thinking full-back, is still a full-back and the demands of the position in comparison to a wing-back are different.

"“I had never played at left-wing back in my life, ever. Antonio knew that, and we spoke about it because I had always played left-back and, in that position, a lot of movements, plays in the game, you don’t control,” he admitted last season.Via: Football.London"

Full-backs are traditionally more reserved in their positioning and are a clear branch off from the defence. Wing-backs on the other hand aren’t tied to an area of the pitch and are expected to offer support to all three zones (defence, midfield and attack).

Injury gets between Reguilon’s Tottenham Hotspur revival

An injury to Sessegnon saw Reguilon back into the team during March and April earlier this year. He performed admirably but suffered a setback of his own with a groin strain that saw him miss the end of the season.

As Antonio Conte turns his attention to next season and how to improve on the fourth place finish his side stole from under rivals Arsenal’s nose on the final day, it appears Reguilon’s future has already been decided.

It was reported by various outlets last week that the former Chelsea manager had left four players at home for the club’s pre-season tour of South Korea.

Reguilon and midfielders Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso were the names listed and in essence, given the nudge to explore options away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Daniel Levy and co have been active in the summer transfer window on the opposite front, with Tottenham signing Yves Bissouma and Richarlison for a combined fee in the region of £80m including add-ons alongside Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on free transfers and Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet on loan.

The above goes some way to explaining why higher-ups at the club are looking to send players the other way in conjunction with Conte’s obvious desire to clear out any dead wood for his project.

Where now for Tottenham’s Sergio Reguilon?

The latest reports suggest Reguilon isn’t short of options in the event of him leaving Tottenham Hotspur.

Spanish outlet, AS, as quoted by Sport Witness, states Sevilla have ‘presented themselves’ as an option for the Real Madrid academy graduate.

Reguilon enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Rojiblancos in the 2019/20 season which eventually led to the switch to the Premier League and Tottenham.

Juventus is another name that has been listed as the same report goes on to suggest there are multiple ‘top European clubs’ vying for the player’s signature. He is said to be open to a move back to his former temporary employers and to reunite with manager Julen Lopetegui.

Irrespective of Tottenham’s standpoint, with it being a World Cup year, a move certainly suits Reguilon at this stage if his place within Conte’s line-up is uncertain. He needs stability and the opportunity to settle into a system that suits his style of play and it is clear that he isn’t going to be afforded this at Spurs.