Conte was disgusted by 'major problem' he spotted at Spurs on his very first day – journalist
Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a host of new managers as Antonio Conte’s N17 future remains in the balance.
The Spurs head coach’s explosive post-match interview after the Southampton draw last week triggered speculation about his future.
Although Conte remains at the helm of Tottenham, multiple sources claim it won’t be long before Spurs part company with him.
‘Increasingly fed up’
On Friday, The Athletic published an in-depth article discussing what has gone wrong at Tottenham under Conte.
Jack Pitt-Brooke’s piece spoke of how Spurs hoped a strong finish to last season and a summer of player investment led to hopes of a new era of success.
Instead, Tottenham have regressed, and as per the report, ‘it did not take long for the mood to deteriorate’.
Pitt-Brooke wrote: ‘Conte’s relentless public criticism of club policy eroded all goodwill.
‘Fabio Paratici became more important than ever as the only senior club figure with whom Conte was still close.
‘The players became increasingly fed up with Conte’s repetitive training and restrictive tactics.
‘The words “toxic” and even “rotten” kept coming up in conversations with dressing-room sources, who have been granted anonymity to protect relationships.
‘Some even commented privately that the mood was far worse than it was in the final days of Jose Mourinho.’
The article also touched upon how there was ‘friction’ from the very first day Conte arrived at Tottenham.
Conte would be ‘painfully, brutally honest with everyone at the club’ in order to inspire the reaction he needed.
One noteworthy moment from the Italian’s first day at N17 involved him reportedly telling staff they had a ‘major problem’ – namely, the food.
Conte had allegedly spotted one player eating nachos and ‘could not accept it from his team’.
There would be ‘no more heavy food like nachos or sandwiches after training. No more ketchup or mayonnaise. No more cooking with too much butter and oil. Fruit was making a comeback.’
More carrot, less stick?
Credit to Pitt-Brooke for such an in-depth article about how things went south at Spurs under Conte.
Although Conte is a world-class manager, just like Jose Mourinho, it looks like Tottenham need a different approach.
A Mauricio Pochettino-like appointment – a young, up-and-coming manager who can grow with the club – would probably be the best bet.
Spurs have the tools to become an elite club, but it looks as though they need more of the carrot and less of the stick.
In other news, Liverpool target joins up with same agent as Virgil van Dijk, Reds think he wants Anfield move
