Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte made some telling comments on why he did not last long at previous clubs, which some read as a sideswipe at Inter. ‘If you tell me a good lie, you don’t have a lot of life with me.’
The coach spoke at a press conference today, as the Premier League season kicks off this weekend.
He was asked why he generally does not stay at clubs for longer than two or three years in his career and if that might change at Tottenham.
“I think first of all, I need to stay well in the club. I like always the honesty,” replied Conte.
“If you tell me one thing then you have to respect this. Otherwise I don’t like people who say one thing to me at the start and during the season or after one year or two years they change the situation.
“I don’t like this. I like honest person and also if they have to tell me the bad truth, it has to be the truth, not a good lie. Because if you tell me a good lie, you don’t have a lot of life with me, because I hate lies and I hate liars.”
Conte won the Serie A title with Inter in his second campaign, but then terminated his contract early and walked away just a couple of weeks later.
He had argued at the time that the situation had changed with regards to ambitions, because Inter were in a financially difficult situation and had to sell several key players, including Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, and could not invest heavily in replacements either.
Simone Inzaghi inherited the role, going on to win the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup, finishing second in Serie A and reaching the Champions League Round of 16.