Rio Ferdinand says Tottenham are 'lucky' to have secured Antonio Conte

‘What an appointment!’: Rio Ferdinand insists Tottenham are ‘lucky’ to have Antonio Conte… while Eniola Aluko insists Spurs will benefit from man-management after witnessing his bond with John Terry at Chelsea

  • Rio Ferdinand says Spurs are ‘lucky’ to have appointed manager Antonio Conte
  • Ferdinand says Conte is capable of ‘changing’ Tottenham into a ‘winning’ side
  • The Italian manager was able to take Chelsea from 10th to first in one season
  • Eniola Aluko says Conte had the respect of players such as John Terry at Chelsea

Rio Ferdinand says Tottenham are ‘lucky’ to have secured the services of former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte. 

Tottenham confirmed the appointment of Conte as their new manager after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo following their 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday. 

Ferdinand believes Conte is capable of ‘changing’ Spurs into a ‘winning’ side but insists it will be a challenge for the Italian manager given the squad he has inherited. 

Rio Ferdinand says Tottenham are ‘lucky’ to have secured the services of Antonio Conte

Conte boasts a superb record of turning clubs around. He took Chelsea from 10th to first in one season, while he ended Juventus’ dominance of Serie A with Inter last term.

Therefore, Ferdinand believes he is the perfect man to resurrect Tottenham – who currently sit ninth in the Premier League. 

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Malmo on Tuesday night, Ferdinand said: ‘Spurs should think themselves lucky to have conte. 

‘This guys wins. He knows what he is doing. He knows how to go into places and change them to win. 

‘However, he has had been squads to start with. But this squad have a changeover from that champions league final.’ 

Ferdinand says that the Italian boss is capable of ‘changing’ Tottenham into a ‘winning’ side 

However, Ferdinand insists it will be a challenge for Conte given the squad he has inherited

This was not the first time Ferdinand shared his thoughts on the appointment of Conte. The Manchester United legend previously said the Italian manager was the ‘rocket’ that Spurs needed to succeed. 

Ferdinand also said that Tottenham would benefit from a coach who ‘ruled with an iron fist’.

‘Since the Champions League final when they played Liverpool, this team hasn’t had any consistency and confidence, they’ve gone backwards massively – they’re worse off confidence and belief-wise then they were then,’ he told his Five Podcast. 

‘You look at it and if you ask is there anyone in world football who can come in and change the fortunes of this team Conte would have been very high up on my list.

‘He’s a disciplinarian, he doesn’t mess about, he rules with an iron fist and he gets people working. And I think this is what this Spurs squad need. 

Conte ‘rules with an iron fist’ and will expect nothing less than the best from his players

Eniola Aluko (above) says Conte had the respect of players such as John Terry at Chelsea

‘There are a lot of players who think they are better than they are – and they definitely think they’re better than they are actually performing. They need something like this, they need a rocket.

‘He’s got a proven track record he goes into clubs and changes things and gets things going.’

Eniola Aluko also believes Tottenham will benefit from the arrival of Conte after experiencing his impact first-hand at Chelsea. 

Aluko – who was at Stamford Bridge during Conte’s rein – says the Italian manager had the respect of high-profile players such as John Terry. 

She said ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League game with Malmo: ‘What an appointment this is for Spurs. When I was there at Chelsea he was there and he brought a unique formation in. 

‘Big players like John terry had a lot of respect for him. He is gonna really benefit from his relationship with the sports director. I’m sure it’s in his contract that he has big transfer funds.’








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