Lautaro Martinez has thanked Antonio Conte for making him a better striker at Inter Milan amid reports Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a transfer, via quotes by TuttoMercatoWEB.
The Argentine believes Conte helped him see the game in a different way during their time together with the Nerazzurri. He joined the San Siro outfit a year before the Spurs boss and helped to clinch Inter’s first Serie A title in 11-years last term to end Juventus’ dominance.
Martinez scored 17 and assisted 10 goals on route to the title under Conte before he left in May. He walked out after a dispute with the club’s owners over their plans to sell his stars.
Inter’s owners wanted to raise around £70m and slash their wage bill by around 15-20 per cent. Tottenham saw the situation as a chance to sign Martinez, as Fabrizio Romano noted they bid €70m (£60m) plus €20m (£17m) in add-ons to meet Inter’s €90m (£77m) price tag.
The Nerazzurri ultimately rejected the offer as it came after Romelu Lukaku joined Chelsea for £97.5m. But Eurosport expect Spurs will revive their interest in 2022 after hiring Conte.
Inter Milan star Martinez very grateful for Tottenham boss Conte
Conte’s presence in the Tottenham dugout may swing the tide in their favour if they look to revive their talks with Inter Milan over a transfer for Martinez in January or next summer.
Romano added that the Argentine wanted to stay at the San Siro this summer to play in the Champions League. But Martinez is very grateful for what Conte did for him at Inter Milan.
“What has changed in my game? I’m more comfortable on the field,” Martinez said. “With last year’s coach, I learned a lot. He made me grow in a different way on the game, on the tactics and also physically. For this, I thank him.”
Martinez would likely still harbour desires to play in UEFA’s premier club competition, but Conte could help convince the 24-year-old to leave Inter Milan and reunite at Tottenham.
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