Antonio Conte has delivered three Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and one FA Cup in his first five-year spell at Chelsea. But the Italian coach is on thin ice with fans after Monday night’s defeat to Manchester United sent them into the Europa League semi-finals.
“At Tottenham, Antonio Conte is betting on himself… and that’s not a bad thing.”
Conte is putting his faith in himself. He’s hoping to return star-crossed athletes to greatness (or, at the very least, a level of productivity comparable to their salaries/transfer costs). He’s betting that he can resurrect Tottenham Hotspur. Betting that his “intensity/winning attitude shtick,” which has been around for as long as coaches have been in any sport, but which he elevates to a new level, can convince the club to relax financial restraints and invest substantially in the team.
(And, as a corollary to that final gamble, wagering that even if they don’t invest, he’ll still be able to leave for a larger club, thus his 18-month deal.)
Knowing what we know about Spurs and Conte, the above is simply the most rational and plausible explanation for the pairing of the Premier League’s most frugal Big Six club and a man who left his last three club jobs (Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter) because his teams were unwilling or unable to “invest” to the extent that his ambition demanded.
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Tottenham’s net spending over the last decade has been €233.3 million, dwarfing Liverpool’s (€342.9 million), Chelsea’s (€430.1 million), Arsenal’s (€619.3 million), and both Manchester teams’ (€619.3 million) (City and United are both well past the billion Euro net spend mark). In addition, their pay cost has typically been the lowest among the Big Six. It’s true that Spurs have outspent Liverpool and Chelsea in net terms over the last three seasons — according to Transfermarkt, they’ve actually outspent Liverpool and Chelsea in that time frame — but it’s also true that they were hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic and have a massive stadium to pay off.
Are there any other possibilities? Conte, 52, may not be as fixated on victory and ambition as he once was (unlikely). Perhaps the club is on the verge of being sold to Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, or another multibillionaire willing to put up big losses in return for success (also unlikely). Or maybe the club’s current wealthy owner, Joe Lewis, has decided that, now that he’s in his mid-80s, he’d rather put money into the club and watch it succeed than lounge about in the Bahamas (even less likely). So let’s go with the most logical explanation: Conte is betting on himself and risking his reputation, and this isn’t the first time he’s done so.
Gabriele Marcotti, a senior writer for ESPN FC, has compiled all of the latest news and reactions.
It’s difficult to imagine it occurring here. Instead, you see Conte doing what he did best at Chelsea and Inter, when he spent hours working with players one-on-one. He’ll work to rebuild and rehabilitate players like Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, and Giovani Lo Celso, who all performed better in previous seasons for various reasons. There’s also Harry Kane. There’s no denying he’s been on the decline over the last six months, presumably as a consequence of his desire for (and subsequent failure to get) a transfer to Manchester City.
Toss in Son Heung-Min, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon, and Hugo Lloris (at least until his contract expires in June) and you’ve got a solid starting point. Add in the players his old friend Fabio Paratici signed in the summer (you assume he and Conte are on the same page) and get them to perform — we’re talking Emerson and Cristian Romero more than Bryan Gil, who is still very raw — and you can achieve something this season, especially if Conte succeeds in bringing in a couple of key, targeted signings in January and Conte’s tactical savvy.
It also won’t be the back three (I’m not convinced the Spurs have the personnel to do so). He’s used a variety of systems, from the 4-2-4 that got him promoted at Siena to the 3-5-2 he used last season, and everything in between. There are no systems that he is hesitant to play or that he believes he cannot teach. You’re ready to go after you’ve found the perfect setup for the raw material at hand.
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Antonio Conte discusses his football philosophy and goals as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
Finishing in the top four is objectively difficult — the gap is five points, but there are five teams ahead of them — but an improvement on last season’s seventh-place finish, a strong run in a cup competition (possibly the UEFA Europa Conference League), and, most importantly, a sense that you’re on the right track aren’t impossible. Then, in the summer, you take stock.
Kane is unquestionably important. You can either rehabilitate him to the point where someone is prepared to spend £100 million or more for him, in which case you’ll have capital to invest, or you can assume that, at 29, he’ll be as happy and productive as he’s ever been.
Is it a risk? Sure, it’s a huge risk, but Conte believes he’s betting on himself. And he’s the kind of guy who believes that if he works hard enough and is focused enough, he can achieve his goals. If he gets it right, he’ll have further enhanced his reputation in a year or so, and will be in a position to either demand serious investment from Spurs or, without the constraints of a long-term contract, to throw his hat in the ring for a possible A-list vacancy (Paris Saint-Germain? Manchester United? Real Madrid? Who can say?).
What if he’s wrong? Conte is unlikely to consider such a situation, but he will remain the man who has won more major league championships (five) than anybody other than Pep Guardiola since 2011. That’s not a horrible position to be in.
Antonio Conte has been appointed as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur. He is one of the most successful managers in Europe, but he has yet to win a trophy with Chelsea. The club are currently on a run of five consecutive defeats and have not won any silverware since 2014. However, he is betting on himself… and that’s not a bad thing. Reference: antonio conte news.
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