Tottenham to appoint Antonio Conte as new manager
Spurs are confident they have reached an agreement with the former Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan boss after 48 hours of negotiations.
Tottenham are set to appoint Antonio Conte as their new manager
Spurs are confident they have reached an agreement with the former Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan boss after 48 hours of negotiations.
Conte’s ex-Juventus colleague Fabio Paratici is also set to move to north London as sporting director.
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There had been mounting speculation chairman Daniel Levy wanted to tempt Mauricio Pochettino back to the club as Spurs searched for Jose Mourinho’s successor.
But PSG club officials fought hard to keep the Argentine at the club, with Conte now poised to take over the reins in north London.
The latest developments will excite Spurs fans, with the acquisition of Conte – one of the world’s best managers – viewed as a considerable coup.
It comes off the back of Conte quitting Inter Milan after he guided them to their first Serie A title since 2010.
Conte won the Premier League and FA Cup during his two seasons in the Premier League as Chelsea boss.
He previously led Juventus – the club with whom he was synonymous as a player – to three successive Serie A titles.
Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan believes the acquisition of Conte represents a big statement from Spurs.
He said: “If you go and get Conte in at Tottenham Hotspurs, you’re saying something quite significant. The fact he’ll come to Tottenham is actually more significant, because Conte is not coming for nothing.
“He’s not coming because he wants to be part of ‘the project’, he’s not coming because he wants to get a big bag of money, because he could get that at most places.
“He’s coming because he’s ready to go, and that means Tottenham are in business mode and that means, I suspect, Tottenham are going to have a go.
“Because Daniel Levy needs to, he’s got this bloody big stadium and all of his marketing activity, and his advertising is great, but his product ain’t so dandy!
“I wouldn’t put Tottenham as one of the favourites for the title if he goes there, look at their squad. Comparing Inter Milan and Serie A to the current condition of Man City and a rebooted Liverpool… it’s a stretch.
“I think it really tells you something about where Tottenham are trying to go. If they can get Conte across the line, it must tell Tottenham fans, this is ‘go mode’ for Tottenham now again.
“This sends out a really big statement. I can’t imagine why Conte is going to Tottenham unless he’s got absolutely surety that he’s going to be backed. Otherwise what’s he going there for? He’s just won the Serie A title and he’ll have an embarrassment of riches of clubs interested in him.
“Why Tottenham? Because Tottenham must be whispering something in his ear he likes to hear.”