Tottenham announce 13 players leaving club as Antonio Conte turns down transfer

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has rejected the chance to sign loanee Pierluigi Gollini on a permanent basis as part of 13 players announced to be leaving the club.

The goalkeeper, 27, will head back to parent side Atalanta having made 10 appearances for Spurs, serving as Hugo Lloris ' understudy for the majority of the campaign. Tottenham had the opportunity to make Gollini's stay permanent for a reported £13million.

A club statement added: "We thank Pierluigi for his service and wish him well for the future. We can also confirm the departures of Development Squad players J'Neil Bennett, Kacper Kurylowicz, Dermi Lusala, Thimothee Lo-Tutala, Josh Oluwayemi, Tobi Omole and Isak Solberg following the conclusion of their contracts.

"Under-18s players Jez Davies, Jordan Hackett, Khalon Haysman, Renaldo Torraj and Oliver Turner have also departed following the conclusion of their scholarships. We wish them all the best in the next stage of their careers."

Gollini's final outing for Spurs came in the second leg for a Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea, and the Italian had a night to forget. Although the former Aston Villa stopper did not play the first leg which Conte's side lost 2-0, his error allowed Antonio Rudiger to score the only goal of round two and dump Tottenham out at the penultimate hurdle.

Gollini recently reflected on his time in north London by telling the DAZN Talks podcast:"It's normal that I was hoping to play a bit more, but I knew from the beginning that I would play the cups and Lloris the league. I was playing the Conference, and we went out without having played; we had nine cases of Covid, and they didn't let us postpone the game.

Join the debate! Should Conte have kept Gollini at Tottenham? Give us your verdict in the comments section.

"Carabao? Out in the semi-final with Chelsea and then in the FA Cup, the last one, the coach decided not to do any turnover. I played 11 games and was lucky enough to train with Lloris. You can grow even if you don't play, although there are things you only learn on the pitch, like the mistakes you make to improve.

"If you have the right head, even observing certain environments, you can learn. In football, as in other environments. I always thought that you have to make the best out of the situation. If you have the idea of wasting time, you always lose it. What future for me? I tell the truth: if I could, I would stay at Tottenham. I feel very good here; I am very attached to this group and the club."