Antonio Conte wants to win and he wants to win big – but only Tottenham can answer whether he’s a chequebook manager.
I am sure they didn’t appoint him just because he’s a name.
He has won plenty in his career and, no matter what sort of money you have to spend, you don’t do that without talent.
But what Spurs clearly need at this moment is a manager who can do the rebuilding they require from within and enhance the structures and philosophies within the club to make the most of what they have.
What has happened to them in the transfer market this week shows that they can’t simply spend their way to success. They lost Adama Traore to Barcelona and Luis Diaz has chosen Liverpool ahead of them.
And that is where they’re at right now. They will lose out on talents like Diaz to clubs like Liverpool, who can currently offer a greater chance of success.
It’s the law of the football jungle.
Do you agree with Robbie Fowler? Is Antonio Conte the right man to rebuild Tottenham? Comment below
They’re not THAT far behind, let’s be clear. They may be in seventh, but they’re a win away from the top four.
And no one would say at this stage they have no chance of making the Champions League places. Yet Spurs are a million miles away from the top three.
The performance at Chelsea showed that last week – when they didn’t land a blow on a team, who have been struggling a bit recently.
And that’s where they are.
A team who will scrap for fourth spot, but could end up sixth or seventh. Players know that, agents know that – and, crucially, Harry Kane knows that.
As Diaz showed, the huge talent who could be the “next big thing” isn’t going to choose that club.
So a slightly different approach is required. It means managing slightly differently, finding different ways to improve the team than spending on the obvious player.
Can Conte do that? Again, I don’t know. He may not know himself any more, either, because it’s been a long, long time since he had to do anything like that.
He inherited a great side and opened the chequebook to win three titles on the bounce with Juventus, then at Chelsea and then at Inter Milan.
But he quit Inter as soon as they sold a couple of players and asked him to cut the budgets. So I will watch with interest.
And, I suspect, Kane will be watching, too.
People suggest chariman Daniel Levy and his board are trying to splash the cash in this window because they are already spending the money from a Kane summer sale.
I’m not sure about that. Maybe they are spending because they know they will lose Kane if they don’t.
Maybe they realise only top four and a real sign that they can challenge for the title next season will keep him.
But maybe Spurs need to look at it differently.
Maybe it’s a five-year project, like Jurgen Klopp took on at Liverpool. Build slowly, sell some big players to buy even better ones.
For that, you need a boss with the capacity to do things differently, to develop players, make them better, develop a team mentality and talent from within – and find talent the clubs above you don’t notice.
Is Conte the right manager to do that?
As I said at the very start, I really don’t know.
