CalcioMercatoWeb made a seriously huge claim about Tottenham this week.
Indeed, the Italian outlet have reported that Antonio Conte has decided that he will leave Spurs at the end of the season and that the north London club are eyeing Diego Simeone as the Italian’s successor.
Of course, claims of this magnitude have to be taken with a serious pinch of salt at this point, but this isn’ the worst source in the world and there could be an element of truth to this rumour as Juventus circle Conte and Atletico Madrid crash out of Europe.
For argument’s sake, let’s say that this report is accurate and that Simeone is being lined up to replace Conte next summer.
If the Argentine does join Spurs, he will immediately make them into contenders for major trophies, and there’s one signing that we could genuinely see coming off if he were to arrive.
Indeed, we think that Spurs would stand a great chance of landing Jan Oblak if they appoint Simeone.
The Evening Standard reported just a few weeks ago that Oblak is a ‘primary target’ for Spurs as they look for a long-term Hugo Lloris replacement, and that interest will surely only accelerate if Simeone is at the helm.
Simeone, of course, has been Oblak’s manager over in Madrid for quite some time now, and he’d surely want to bring one of his most trusted generals over to north London with him if he’s to take the Tottenham job on.
Factor in that Lloris has been prone to mistakes lately – notably against both Newcastle and Arsenal, and this transfer begins to make lots of sense.
Simeone isn’t one to be sentimental and while Lloris has been an excellent servant over the years, if his powers continue to decline, Simeone will have no issue with relegating him to the bench or selling him, especially if he can get Oblak.
If Simeone is to become the Spurs manager, we think that Tottenham genuinely could sign Oblak.
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