The imminent signing of Richarlison as a Tottenham Hotspur player is perhaps the most telling evidence yet that Antonio Conte is being heard very clearly in the corridors of the club.
The Italian made his feelings known to the hierarchy soon after joining Spurs when he realised the lack of depth within the squad he had inherited. That was brought into light in the final weeks of the season when Conte had to name four academy youngsters on the bench for Premier League matches despite having only four or five injuries to his first team players.
There were times when those around the head coach heard his frustrations after matches as he had turned to his bench during the game and found his options limited in terms of ready made, similar quality players able to change things. Conte wanted Tottenham to understand the big club mentality he was used to elsewhere during his career, that there was no sense of a set starting XI and instead a strong squad with similar level players battling it out for every position.
