Football agent Federico Pastorello has told Tuttosport that Antonio Conte is ‘the best’ head coach in world football as the Tottenham Hotspur boss can get the most out of his players.
Spurs went big to bring Conte to north London in November after a poor run of form under Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese only held the job for four-months after replacing Jose Mourinho. But he departed after winning just two of his final seven Premier League games.
Tottenham have since gone unbeaten in the top-flight with Conte in charge, claiming three wins and one draw. Their only game without three-points also came in his first at the helm.
Nuno had struggled to make Spurs a formidable unit under his watch, despite starting with three-straight clean sheets. The north Londoners conceded 16 goals over their next seven, compared to one in four so far under Conte.
Pastorello issues verdict on Tottenham boss Conte
Pastorello knows first-hand what Tottenham manager Conte can achieve when players are under his wing. Among the agent’s clients include Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, whom he sang the Italian’s praises to when they first met while the Belgian plied his trade at Everton.
But it was not until after Lukaku joined Manchester United that he hired Pastorello as his agent. They then worked to take the forward to Inter Milan, where Conte revived his form.
“I told him that, in my opinion, Conte would be the ideal coach to help him make a further qualitative leap,” Pastorello said. “Lukaku, on the other hand, chose Manchester United.
“A year later, when his relationship with his previous agent had expired, he called me from a new mobile number. Romelu told me that everything I had told him the first time had come true and he wanted me as an agent.”
Lukaku joined Inter Milan for £73m in 2019 and went on to score 64 goals in 95 games. His form sealed a £97.5m move to Chelsea in August with a Serie A winner’s medal to boot.
Conte ‘the best’ head coach in the world
Pastorello feels Tottenham made a great decision hiring Conte on a £250k-a-week contract last month to replace Nuno. He adds that the Italian is the best head coach around as he can help players reach a higher level.
“Conte is the best coach in the true sense of the word,” Pastorello said. “He is the one who trains and improves the players the most.
“Conte was a great get for Tottenham. He will get 110% of the possible results. But we must not forget that he will deal with four powers like [Manchester] City, United, Liverpool and Chelsea, who also have higher budgets.”
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