£43m Tottenham target said he ‘wouldn’t suit’ Conte tactics

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Nicolo Zaniolo has obviously given some thought to how he would fit into Antonio Conte’s emblematic 3-5-2 formation.

And for Tottenham Hotspur – who have been tracking the young midfielder since the Mauricio Pochettino heyday – the omens do not look particularly good.

According to Calciomercato, the underperforming Premier League giants enquired about Zaniolo’s availability in October, identifying the stylish, elegant Italy international as someone capable of adding some cutting edge to their blunt attack.

Often this season, Tottenham have looked like a team trying to cut through an overcooked steak with the sort of wooden knife you get from a fish’n’chip shop.

In the meantime, 22-year-old Zaniolo has blossomed into one of Serie A’s most exciting talents at the Stadio Olimpico, thriving in a variety of different roles.

But, as Christian Eriksen would tell you, it’s not easy for an orthodox number ten to find a place in Conte’s preferred tactical set-up; one that prioritises hard-working wide-players and box-to-box midfield generals. 

“For a coach like Conte, I would even play in the 3-5-2,” Zaniolo told FC Inter News in February, before admitting that the 52-year-old’s system is hardly the ideal fit for a player of his qualities.

“(But) it wouldn’t suit me very well considering my way of playing and how I like to move on the pitch.”

“In Conte’s Inter, where do you play him?” agreed Italian football journalist Furio Focolari, at a time in which the Roma star was being linked with a move to the San Siro.

“I can’t see Zaniolo in a team coached (by Conte) – he would end up like Eriksen.”

Something for Tottenham to think about, then.

Is Nicolo Zaniolo a bad fit for Antonio Conte’s Tottenham?

Nuno Espirito Santo was still at the helm when Spurs reportedly lodged an enquiry about Zaniolo.

It is believed that Fabio Paratici, Tottenham’s managing director, was the driving force behind a potential deal, having admitted back in 2019 that he would love to have signed Zaniolo for Juventus.

Now, with Conte at the helm, it makes little sense for Spurs to press ahead with their interest in a player who might have been the final piece of Pochettino’s jigsaw but feels like a square peg in a round hole these days.