‘Something has to give at Spurs’- Carra questions Conte appointment
Jamie Carragher has questioned the appointment of Antonio Conte as the new Tottenham manager, claiming that either club or manager will have to compromise.
Conte was appointed as the new Spurs manager on Tuesday, replacing the outgoing Nuno Espirito Santo and got off to a winning start as his new side edged out Vitesse Arnhem by three goals to two in the Europa Conference League.
The Italian bring a history of winning major trophies on his CV as he arrives in north-London, claiming titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan in recent years.
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Spurs, on the other hand, have struggled to win a trophy in recent years, coming close on numerous occasions but falling just short.
This is something that, ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher feels, will need the change after the appointment of Conte.
Writing in his column in The Telegraph, Carragher said: “Since Antonio Conte’s appointment as Tottenham Hotspur manager was announced, all the appraisals of his work have agreed on one fact: Conte is a ‘serial winner’.
“There is an obvious follow-up gag. Why is he joining Spurs, then? That is not intended solely as a cheap shot. Spurs fans will agree that since the early 1980s their club has not exactly given their coaches the best chance of collecting major trophies.
“Spurs are a club with a reputation for accepting second, third or fourth best, content to reap the financial rewards of Champions League qualification under Mauricio Pochettino when, with just an extra push in the transfer market, they might have won the competition and the Premier League.
“Now they have appointed an elite coach in his prime, accustomed to winning titles; a manager who left top class jobs at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan amid complaints about lack of squad investment; a manager who by his own admission cannot tolerate being anything but first.
“Since 2011, only Pep Guardiola has won more major titles than Conte. You cannot recruit such a manager without sharing the same vision, and providing the right environment for him to realise it.
“By hiring Conte, something has to give at Spurs. Either Conte will compromise his expectations of challenging for the biggest prizes – something I cannot imagine – or the Spurs hierarchy will radically shift their sense of ambition and give him the tools which many of his predecessors lacked.
“No wonder many are expecting regular firework displays on and off the pitch in North London.”
