Antonio Conte signed an 18-month contract at Tottenham, but his latest interview with Sky Sport Italia suggests that he is already considering his future in North London and it would not be surprising to see him leave as he did with Juventus and Inter in the past.
Things can change suddenly in football, but transitions are even quicker when it comes to Antonio Conte. The Italian coach has released an interview with Sky Sport Italia questioning his club’s ambition and saying that the Premier League side have weakened their squad in the January transfer window when they signed Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus. He clearly expected something different when he moved to North London this past November. He expected more investments and, to some extent, more ambition.
According to reports in UK, Tottenham directors are surprised by Conte’s claims, but those who follow Italian football know that these kinds of interviews are no new for Conte. Plenty of examples show how the Italian tactician can be very quick to pack his suitcase if he realises that the club is no longer following him or doesn’t match his ambition. Whether his assessments are right or wrong, it’s another story.
Conte: ‘Tottenham weakened squad, I realise now this is the club’s vision’
Back in 2014, Conte left Juventus one day into the preseason. He was not convinced by the club’s plans for the future. He didn’t see room for improvement in the team and was disappointed that Juventus would not sign Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina. Conte left the club that he brought back to the top of Italian football from one day to another. Massimiliano Allegri arrived at the club and reached the Champions League Final with a team that had been partially built for Conte.
Conte is no new to complaints and Beppe Marotta has always handled the coach’s temper in front of the media, both at Juventus and Inter. However, he never managed to avoid his departure from the clubs. Conte also questioned Inter’s ambitions last season.
“I know that I can only have an impact on the present. The club’s programs have changed and I need clarity at the end of the season, we need a clear project because the fans deserve it,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia in April. Less than a month later, he had already left the club after winning the first Scudetto in 11 years for the Nerazzurri.
“What I can say is that my project never changed, but it would be nonsense to discuss this now,” he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in June.
“I don’t want to cause controversy or talk about transfers. I respect [Inter President] Zhang and I thank him for choosing me. I love Inter, the club and their fans.”
Conte’s latest interview sounds quite similar to many others that the 52-year-old released in the past. The bad thing for Tottenham is that it always ended in the same way, with the coach leaving the club. That’s why nobody would be surprised to see him walk away from North London at the end of the season.
Not many.
He throws his toys out of the pram when things aren’t 100% his way.
I was amazed he took the job in the first place, he and Spurs are like fire and water. One wants to win, the other is happy with top 4 and no trophies
You got to admire the toupet tactician for all the severance pays he has collected in the past!
@FERBAN
I think the reason Conte took this job is that he has become an absolute jerk for his former clubs by joining their rivals. It’s not a secret that he holds a grudge against Agnelli and Abramovich. That’s why he joined Inter 3 years ago and now he is with Tottenham (the rival of Chelsea in the London Derby).
I have lost a lot of respect for Conte recently. He did a great job at Juve in serie A but flopped in Europe. Then he just quit one day and said the club weren’t rich enough. Alegri reached the UCL final the next season with almost the same squad!
Didn’t last ling at Italy.
Quit Inter because they sold one player. Inzaghi is doing just as well with the same players.
Now he is moaning at Tottenham.
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Not even himself.
The only surprise for me is that he went to Spurs in the first place. Shocked me. I appreciate his standards and willingness to walk away if those standards are not met by the owners, He’s a real winner and Spurs were never a good match for him.
Tottenham and their fans shouldn’t be surprised by any of this… you knew you were getting a buy now/win now style coach.
He seems to be a man with no integrity. Leaving Juve in the lurch on the 1st day of pre-season. He demanded to leave Inter but still got a payoff of around 7m euros. I wonder who the next club will be that have to pay him a fortune when he decides to quit?
Tottenham don’t spend as much as the richer english teams but they still backed him by (over)spending 70m on 2 guys this window.
He will be linked back to Man U in 3..2..
But yeah, Conte to Spurs was bizzare in the first place, almost as bizzare as Don Carlo to Everton.
The question why did he went to Tottenham in the first place. Did Conte ever explained that.
Problem with coaches like Conte and Mourinho is the fact there not very good coaches when it comes to patience and developing young players. Unless they have a blank cheque to sign expensive ready made champions, they are useless.
I don’t know why people are moaning here, this is why we are human beings, we cant all love chicken and chips, some cant do without it and some love their jacket potatoes and baked beans, human beings, Conte love to win and Wenger love to build, Ancelotti would work with the players you provide him while MOU would love to build his own team, nothing wrong with that, if you are a club owner and things are happening like this then you shoudnt be complaining bcos you know what you are signing for
@Gee, I didn’t know that Conte was English!
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Conte and Mourinho are two peas in a pod, albeit one being a little more successful than the other recently. But they both go to clubs expecting spending sprees, then cry when they don’t get what they want and are gone within a year. But they’re running out of clubs willing to deal with that behavior and the park the bus tactics and counter tactics. Particularly in Mourinho’s case. Also, how about that comment on Kulusevksi and Betancur? Reinforces the notion that Pararici bailed out Rubentus. There should be an investigation.
The interview was the start of the process to engineer his departure. Letting 4 midfield players leave in January was madness and leaves Tottenham short and virtually guarantees no CL next season. Allegedly Conte wanted this to happen but now states they were all big players, however he didn’t play them. None of it makes any sense. Conte now needs a complete rebuild and is simply not the manager to do that and Tottenham will not release enough money. Really tough times ahead especially with Newcastle becoming the richest team in the world. No multi, multi billionaire equals no chance