Antonio Conte’s arrival at Tottenham is big news, to say the least, and every man and his dog has had their say on it so far today.
We’ve had details about transfers by the boatload, with the Italian expected to spend big to improve the squad he’s inherited from Nuno Espirito Santo.
What we’ve not heard so far is why he’s taken the job in the first place, particularly given he rejected it when Tottenham came calling in the summer.
Well, rest easy, because La Repubblica have stepped up to the plate to fill the gap with a piece titled ‘Why Conte went to Tottenham’ which explains that it’s a case of ‘money, full power and desire to start again’, which has tempted Conte into saying yes.
First and foremost, they say Conte had ‘anxiety’ about getting back into work and felt there was a risk of ‘staying put’ for a season to see what came up.
That’s why he’s accepted the Tottenham job, which also came with an ‘important contract’ that will not see him lose his severance from Inter and a cool €180m to bolster the squad as added bonuses.
There was also a case of not wanting to miss the only offer to come his way so far, with the market ‘depleted’ when it comes to big names.
La Repubblica say that, quite simply, the time had come for Conte to get back on the horse, and Tottenham is an ideal place for him to rebuild and bolster his reputation further.
He had hoped that more ‘attractive’ offers would open up in the summer, but that did not prove to be the case. Even Manchester United did not make Conte a ‘real offer’.
At that point, he realised his options were diminishing, and so rather than spend a season sitting on the sidelines, he jumped at the offer Tottenham presented.
He’ll make €23.4m from the contract he’s signed with Spurs, with €9.4m coming until June and a further €14m next season. That’s a ‘mountain of money’ that proved hard to refuse.
Then there is the money in transfer funds, with Tottenham having enough cash to ‘fascinate him’. They’ve put €180m on the table, an amount that can get him players like Vlahovic, De Vrij and Bastoni.
There’s even one of the ‘most beautiful stadiums’ in the world to play in, a team that is worth and capable of more than it has currently shown, something he also experienced at Chelsea and Juventus, and his friend Fabio Paratici is at the club too.
In other words, there’s loads of money on offer and a situation that most managers would jump at, which is exactly what Conte has done.
