Tottenham have ‘open phone lines’ to give Antonio Conte what he wants in transfer market
Antonio Conte: In profile
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Tottenham boss Antonio Conte could receive an early transfer gift as Inter Milan expect Spurs to make contact over a deal. The Italian was appointed as head coach at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.
Chairman Daniel Levy moved quickly to replace Nuno Espirito Santo after sacking the Portuguese on Monday.
Nuno’s fate was sealed by the troubling 3-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday. It was Spurs’ fifth Premier League reverse of the campaign having already lost against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham.
Conte was the top managerial target during the summer as Levy sought to find a permanent successor to Jose Mourinho. However, talks broke down with Conte revealing on Tuesday that his departure from Inter Milan was still too fresh at the time.
There were reports in the summer that Conte had concerns about a potential lack of spending power during the pandemic and about Harry Kane’s possible departure.
The England captain was angling for a move to Manchester City in the hope of adding team silverware to his list of personal honours.
Conte could now get a transfer present early in his Spurs reign. It has been widely reported that he has made strong demands about targets in a bid to elevate the club back among the Premier League’s elite.
According to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Conte’s former club Inter are expecting Spurs to make contact over signing defender Stefan de Vrij. The Dutchman shone under the coach at the Serie A club last term as they won the top-flight title.
Conte departed Inter just a few days after winning Serie A, with various reports suggesting that he harboured concerns over the ambition of the club after winning their first title in 11 years.
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However, he publicly refused to delve deeper on his decision, telling journalists: “I can only say that my project never changed, but it would make no sense to talk about these things now.
“I don’t want to create controversy or talk about transfers. I respect president Zhang, and I thank him for choosing me.
“I love Inter, the team and the fans, and I sincerely wish Simone Inzaghi the best of luck in the job. He is a good, capable, ambitious coach and I wish the Nerazzurri world the greatest success.”
Conte has said that he joined Spurs because of their huge plans and their ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities, including their new 60,000-seater stadium.
“I am extremely happy to return to coaching, and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist again,” he told the club’s website.
“Tottenham Hotspur has state-of-the-art facilities and one of the best stadiums in the world.
“I can’t wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach.
“Last summer our union did not happen because the end of my relationship with Inter was still too recent and emotionally too involved with the end of the season, so I felt that it wasn’t yet the right time to return to coaching.
“But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of Daniel Levy in wanting to entrust me with this task had already hit the mark. Now that the opportunity has returned, I have chosen to take it with great conviction.”
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