In 2016-17, Antonio Conte was the Chelsea Premier League champion.
He is a serial winner with Premier League successes on his CV. He is a disciplined disciplinarian and a skilled tactician. It's easy to see why Tottenham Hotspur want Antonio Conte as their manager.
Former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Nuno Espirito Sante is about to be succeeded by the former boss. He was fired Monday by Spurs after only four turbulent months.
It would be a remarkable turnaround from the summer when Nuno was rejected by Spurs to be their manager.
With an out-of form squad, lack of recent investments, and a star player eager to leave, the question that is more relevant is: Why would Conte want Tottenham to join him now?
"Maybe Spurs offered him more?"
Conte is known for being a demanding manager and asking for money to improve his squad. However, at Tottenham, he would partner with Daniel Levy, a chairman who has a reputation for being a prudent businessman who is reluctant spending the fees paid by Premier League's top clubs.
Chris Sutton, former Blackburn and Norwich striker, said that the terms had changed. He was referring to Conte’s failed summer move to Tottenham.
He won't go to Spurs unless it is possible for him to win or get close to winning because he is not that kind of manager. He isn't going to end his career. He is eager to transform the club.
"Spurs don't do Conte a favor, Conte does Spurs a favour."
Rory Smith, a New York Times football writer, suggested that there might have been a reason for the parties to find common ground: money.
He said, "As brilliant as Conte may be, it comes at a price." He complains that not enough resources are being provided to the players.
"Maybe Spurs have spoken to him, saying that they are in a bigger pickle than we thought. Maybe we can talk about other targets in the transfer marketplace."
"But this is unlikely because I don't believe Spurs have the cash to spend 200m on the summer.
"Conte's hand is stronger because Spurs have won five league games and lost five. They have also offered to pay Conte more."
Gabriele Marcotti, an Italian journalist, stated that "there are two things which for me don’t make sense."
One is that the deal is reported to be an 18-month contract. This seems odd when you consider that we are talking about a project, long-term, manager security and clout.
"The other obvious thing to do is to look at the reasons Conte left his previous jobs.
He left Inter at the end of last year because they couldn’t invest and they sold his top players. Roman Abramovich, his owner, wouldn't allow him to spend more money on the players he wanted. He was forced to leave Chelsea.
"You may have heard the famous line that he left Juventus, when he said that 'they wanted to me to eat in a 100 euro restaurant with 10 euros in mine'. They didn't deliver in the market.
Levy is the most prudent with his money, if you think about all the Premier League owners. It's completely counterintuitive.
Antonio Conte coaching career Club Dates Games Win % Trophies Inter Milan May 19 - May 21 102 62.75 Serie A Chelsea Jul 16 - Jul 18 106 66.04 Premier League, FA Cup Italy Aug 14 - Jun 16 24 58.33 Juventus May 11 - Jul 14 129 67.44 Serie A (3), Coppa Italia (2) Siena May 10 - May 11 44 50 Atalanta Sep 09 - Jan 10 14 21.43 Bari Dec 07 - Jun 09 67 47.76 Serie B Arezzo Mar 07 - Jun 07 15 53.33 Arezzo Jul 06 - Oct 06 12 25
"Where else could he go?"
Marcotti suggests that Conte could be looking to join Spurs as a different manager than the one we've seen before.
Marcotti stated, "Managers change, and people change." "I believe Conte is changing into something slightly different from the one at Chelsea. He has also had other experiences.
"Maybe he sees this and thinks, "You know what? I'm really good at working alongside players who don’t fit." He has proven that.
"At Euro 2016, with the most talented Italy side I have ever seen, he did very well."
"Maybe he sees this with Spurs, and thinks, 'I will collaborate with this and surprise people, and that will give us the clout to deal with Levy and where we will spend money.'
Smith believes that Spurs to Conte could also be attracted by the lack of high-profile European options, as well as a desire to return home to England.
He said, "Before Milan played Liverpool this season in the Champions League, Conte worked as a studio analyst and he shot an episode in the Cavern Club of Liverpool." This isn't a typical, run-of-the mill thing to do. This is an extra effort.
"The only thing that could have changed his perspective is to look around Europe and see where else he could travel.
"Paris St-Germain seem to be sticking with Mauricio pochettino, Manchester United appear unwilling to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. They are also wary of Conte as they believe he is a firebrand and divisive figure similar to Jose Mourinho.
"Barcelona, Real Madrid and Real Madrid are not in the cards as far as their financial clout is concerned so Spurs is about the largest club available to him at the moment."
"Conte will need to spend 18 months in order to turn Tottenham around."
Conte's pedigree is unaffected. If Conte is appointed - which seems likely - the Italian has been back to restore Tottenham's fortunes, if given the time.
Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, stated that a manager will need to take Tottenham to the next level in order to do so. "It would be difficult for a manager to achieve that success in 18 months.
"He might need to wait another 18 months before he can get Tottenham back."
"When I say "get Tottenham back", it might be back to the point where they were under Pochettino. They felt they had a chance at winning trophies and pushing people towards the title, Champions League, year in, year out."
