Cristian Stellini believes Djed Spence can improve his consistency 'a lot' in training. The English youngster is yet to feature regularly for Tottenham Hotspur this season, despite being one of the Championship's star performers last season.

Stellini took Antonio Conte's usual place for the pre-match press conference. Spurs face an important match against Preston on Saturday, and the Italian believes new signing Arnaut Danjuma could feature in the match.

It has been nearly 32 years since Spurs last won the FA Cup, making it a priority for many supporters. The assistant manager believes Spurs will take it seriously, and that Harry Kane should be available despite suffering from an illness. 

  • Team news

Spurs have struggled with injuries all season, but it seems they are beginning to create a fit and consistent squad in N17.

Cristian Romero and Dejan Kulusevski have particularly struggled with injuries this season, but the former Juventus players seem to be having an injury-free year in 2023 so far.

Spurs' latest signing, former Bournemouth winger Danjuma, signed for the club on Wednesday, however he is available to play according to Stellini.

He said: "Arnaut Danjuma is available. He is a player we can use tomorrow. We only have one problem with Harry Kane, because he played last game full of illness. He did not train during the week. He trained this morning, but he wants to come with us and be available. We know that Kane wants to play every game, so we are happy, but we have to take care of the situation."

"We think that every game we prepare with the best team to try to win. We can make changes. we are here for enough time for one player to be ready to play one game. The only player who is maybe not ready like the others is Danjuma because he is a new player. We are happy, but we need to give him time to understand everything."

"Until the last minute, we don't say to any player that you must rest. We prepare the game, and let the player think he can play this game. At the end, Antonio will make a decision, and some players can have some rest."

  • Danjuma's impact

Not many expected Danjuma to become a Tottenham Hotspur player in January. The Dutch winger had completed his medical and media duties with fellow Premier League side Everton, before the Lilywhites hijacked the transfer in spectacular fashion.

It left a painful blow to hearts in Merseyside, but Stellini believes he can play a big part for the club, and adds an extra rotation option to the squad.

The Italian stated: "He has experience, he played a good Champions League campaign last season. He is a player that can play like a striker or winger. He has a lot of positions that he can cover, so we are happy. We are looking forward to working with him. It is normal in January to need time to take in all the infomation to play in our team. We are happy and we want to work with him."

"It depends on the system we use. In the system we normally we use, it could be a number 10 or striker. This is the way we want to work with him. We've said many times that we needed a player to change. This season we lost Lucas Moura for a long time, and we needed a player to add to our rotation. This is fine."

Earlier this month, Stellini suggested Bryan Gil would not leave on loan in the transfer window. However with Danjuma's arrival, rumours about a potential exit for the Spaniard arose. Despite this, Stellini believes he was not the right person to answer and thinks he will still stay at the club.

He said: "This is not a question I can answer. I am not involved in this decision. My opinion is the same as three weeks ago, and nothing has changed for me."

The English full-back has had a challenging start to his career at Hotspur Way. Spence is yet to start a match for Conte's side, despite disappointing performances from fellow right-backs Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty.

With Pedro Porro potentially arriving in the closing days of the transfer window, a loan move for Spence seems more likely. Stellini believes he needs to improve consistency in training, whilst the club must consider any hierarchies before a loan move is considered.

The assistant manager stated: "Being consistent without playing much is not easy. But being consistent in training is really important for a type of player like Djed. This is the are where he can improve a lot. He has improved since he has been here. But he has to follow like Gil and Pape Matar Sarr. They improve, but the season is going on. If you do not have many chances play, then you need to be consistent with your training."

"There are also hierarchies in the team. You have to expect some hierarchies. It is not easy when you have some players in the rotation that you cannot use. In that moment, if you want to improve, then you can have a young player that can go out on loan. But I am not the right person to speak. I speak in general, not about Djed Spence, about all the players."

  • Grieving with a loss

Near the end of 2022, Gian Piero Ventrone sadly passed away. The Italian was fitness coach in N17, and was close friends to Conte and Stellini.

It saddened the pair deeply, with the club paying their respects over the coming weeks after his death. 

Stellini believes they never had time to truly process his death, whilst he is unsure about the impact it made on the players.

He said: "It is not my job to analyse. When you are close to a friend like Gian Piero, I can easily understand the big impact. It is inside everyone, and it is not as if we speak about this everyday. For me, it was a big loss, for Antonio as well. We were close to him for a long time."

"Everything that happened can have a great impact, so you need time. You have to speak to try and give emotion. A lot of emotion can create a big energy. Maybe we did in the immediate time, but then you do not have time because life was going very quickly. But we need time. You live without knowing what is the best for you".

"We feel a lot of love from the club. We realised this club was a special club, because they were so close to us to give us all the support. That was amazing."