Spurs summer of good sense
How Levy broke habit of a lifetime to give Conte exactly what he wants
The first phase of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham revolution proved a resounding success and phase two has made an impressive start.
The Italian has four new signings on board with more to follow as his squad fly to South Korea today for two pre-season fixtures, having persuaded chairman Daniel Levy to ditch the habit of a lifetime and strike quickly and decisively in the transfer market.
It is another considerable feather in the cap of Conte, who led the club back into the Champions League, and proves the value of a recruitment process aligned to the will of the man building the team.
Tottenham’s managing director Fabio Paratici knows his head coach well and has delivered the type of signings he wanted, with character and experience, to improve the attitude in the dressing room as much as the quality.
Conte made it clear he thought defeat did not inflict the pain it should. It’s one thing to issue social media apologies for poor performances but there is no kidding the coaching staff when they see the players every day.
he wanted more desire, more character. he called for more depth to offer him the flexibility to rest and rotate, and make in-game changes with the onset of five substitutions from the start of the new season.
Paratici’s recruitment so far has addressed those points. Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster come with experience of winning trophies and performing under pressure for big clubs, major footballing nations and demanding coaches, as did Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, signed from Juventus in January.
Perisic and Richarlison will offer tactical versatility as both are capable of operating in different roles. It was Conte at Inter who convinced Perisic he could prolong his career at the top by evolving from out-and-out winger to a wing-back.
There is physical presence, which usually defines a Conte team. he likes power, and this summer of trading will transform Spurs into a team packed with lithe and steely six-footers.
Yves Bissouma and Richarlison are in their prime, both aged 25, and both accustomed to the rigours of the Premier League with scope to improve.
Conte expects stamina and tactical commitment, a detailed
understanding of his strategy, and he will drill this in during his first pre-season at the club. It is another reason why he wanted his squad settled early.
Chelsea will recall how Conte railed against the board in the summer of 2017, aggrieved because his brilliant debut season at Stamford Bridge had not sparked the purposeful summer of recruitment he expected.
Levy, it seems, has finally taken the hint. he resisted when Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho made the same argument but, this summer, the chairman has backed his football experts. Conte, after spending most of last season issuing veiled threats about how the club must prove it could satisfy his ambitions, can have few complaints.
Spurs are expected to confirm the addition of set-piece expert Gianni Vio to Conte’s coaching staff soon and Paratici has been busily assembling his support team with Gretar Steinsson appointed as performance director, Andy Scoulding as assistant performance director and Simon Davies as head of methodology.
All of which ensured a positive buzz around the training ground as first-teamers started to return on Monday. Those involved in international matches until midJune, including harry Kane, will report today for a session before flying to South Korea.
Question marks remain, of course, and will until the team settles into shape. Where will Richarlison best fit? how will his fiery nature respond to the demands of Conte? how costly is the failure to land the top defensive targets Alessandro Bastoni or Josko Gvardiol?
France international Clement Lenglet, who joined on loan from Barcelona yesterday, offers a sensible degree of flexibility in case it does not work out or if there is a chance to return for Bastoni or Gvardiol.
even with Lenglet, Spurs are prepared to add another central defender if the deal is right, with Pau Torres of Villarreal a possibility. The move for Djed Spence from Middlesbrough is also still on, but Tottenham have two right wing-backs and the next priority will be to move out some of the unwanted players. Steven Bergwijn yesterday completed his £28m move to Ajax.
There is good sense in it all. In fact, it has been a summer of good sense at Tottenham. A rare thing, indeed. The signings are in place in good time, completely in tune with the wishes of the manager. Whatever next?