Antonio Conte has already made a major positive impact at Tottenham, both on and off the pitch. The Italian led his Spurs side to a top four finish in the 2021/22 campaign, meaning they will return to Champions League football when the next season begins.
Since his arrival last November, the 52-year-old has made improvements to individuals, as well as helping take the team displays to the next level. The next step for the Lilywhites is to continue this development, hopefully climbing the Premier League table and ending their 14-year trophy drought.
Before the next campaign begins, Conte needs to make sure he has the strongest squad possible, which is already being improved with Tottenham's three summer signings so far. Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma have all made the move to N17, bringing their individual qualities to the Spurs squad.
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However, before the 52-year-old arrived, it was a waiting game for fans to see which club he ended up at. After Man United beat Spurs in N17 in October, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium filled with boos.
It ended up being Nuno Espirito Santo's final game in charge, paving the way for Conte's arrival. The Red Devils were also having a difficult time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the Norwegian wasn't sacked until a few weeks after Nuno.
If Man United had lost that game in N17, everything could have been so different, as the Manchester side had been linked with Conte. It has all worked out for Tottenham fans, though whilst the Red Devils will now have Erik ten Hag in charge.
However, Patrice Evra has spoken about his disappointment in his former side not getting Conte. "It hurts my heart because I think Conte, [Jurgen] Klopp, [Pep] Guardiola - all those managers are the best in the world right now and we could have had him at Manchester United," Evra admitted, in an interview with The Mirror.
"But some people at the club, they said: ‘It’s not our style, it’s not what we’re looking for.' So let’s see, now we have Erik ten Hag. Let’s see what he’s going to do. He has my support. But then, even if you brought a chef in, as the manager of Man United, he’d have my full support."
When everything seemed to be going downhill, the Italian stepped in and helped Tottenham achieve as much success as they could have had. "They have the same players, so that's why this manager is a genius. When I arrived at Juventus, every player told me: ‘Patrice, this guy is a genius," Evra continued, praising Conte.
“He’s addicted, he’s so passionate about football. So you’re going to run really hard. He's going to make you sweat. But if you look at the Tottenham fans, they are so happy because when they see the players now, win or they lose, they give everything. That’s the mentality of Antonio Conte.
"That’s why I say it hurts. Not because it’s Tottenham - I love every team - but it’s just because Conte could have done something," the 41-year-old added.
As Evra alluded to, Conte is a world-class manager and there is no denying that. The 52-year-old has won league titles with Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan and the impact he has wherever he goes, is outstanding.
Therefore Daniel Levy has already completed step one, in getting Spurs a top manager and now Conte needs the strongest squad to try and take his side to the next level. Evra puts the Italian in the same category as Klopp and Guardiola, who have both won multiple trophies with their Premier League sides.
This is where Tottenham want to be and although there is not an overnight fix, if the success from the transfer window continues, they are surely heading in the right direction.
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