Speaking to Off The Ball, Mark Lawrenson has shared some interesting insight into Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur.
Conte is something of an enigma in football. He’s undoubtedly an incredible coach, but there are often stories about the Italian clashing with his players, such as Diego Costa, or clashing with the boardroom at certain clubs, notably at Inter and Chelsea.
It’s fair to say that it’s not been smooth-sailing for Conte since he arrived at Spurs. After all, there are rumours on a weekly basis that he’s looking to leave the club, but according to Lawrenson, every player is a big fan of the Italian.
Indeed, the pundit has heard behind the scenes that the players really believe in Conte’s methods and that they’re all big fans of the manager.
What’s been said?
Lawrenson shared what he’s heard about Conte.
“I’m told that the players actually really, really like Conte and there doesn’t seem to be anyone who doesn’t. They really believe in him, but the problem will be what the Chief Executive will give Conte in terms of money to buy players and bring them in, isn’t it? That’s always the thing at Tottenham. I think he’ll be there, I get the impression he’s growing to like it,” Lawrenson said.
Not easy
Antonio Conte seems to have won the dressing room round at Spurs, and that’s not an easy task at all.
Some of these players were seemingly very unhappy when Conte took over, and there seemed to be a real element of unrest under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho.
However, Conte has come in and won everyone over, and that’s a fantastic achievement from a coach who isn’t renowned as a man-manager.
If Conte can keep this level of harmony within the squad, Spurs could be serious contenders next season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
