LISTEN TO ME

Conte delivers broadside at Spurs’ board after calling out ‘strange’ transfer window

ANTONIO CONTE has told Tottenham’s hierarchy they need to listen when he speaks because he knows how to build successful teams after claiming their ‘strange’ January transfer window highlighted some of the mistakes they have made in the recent past.

Conte claimed his squad is more complete following the arrivals of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus

But he could not ignore the significance of the loan exits of record signing Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil plus youngster Jack Clarke.

Gil only arrived in the summer, while Ndombele, Lo Celso and Clarke arrived in 2019.

‘It was strange in January to send four on loan, and sell one player (Dele Alli),’ Conte said. ‘It means something wrong happened in the past.

‘You have to see what you did and maybe understand there were some mistakes in the past.

‘Ndombele (£54m) we paid a lot for and it was the same for Lo Celso (£28m) and Gil (£21.4m plus Erik Lamela).

‘Usually you buy players to reinforce your team, you don’t lose players after one, two or three years.

‘We have to pay more attention in the future when we go in the market about the choice of the players.

‘I hope I transferred my thoughts to my club because I have my vision. I’m here to try to help my club to improve.

‘In my experiences in the past, I have built good structure, good teams that have lasted over time.

‘Also without me. It means maybe if I tell something and have a vision, I see the situation. Maybe I have some knowledge that can help the club. I think the club wanted me also for this reason.’

Steve Hitchen quit his recruitment role this week after seeing his influence reduced following Fabio Paratici’s arrival as managing director of football last summer.

Conte passed up the chance to defend Paratici, who he worked with at Juventus, over the signing of Gil, under ex-manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but described Bentancur and Kulusevski as two players who fit Spurs’s philosophy. Ndombele, Lo Celso and Clarke, yet to play a league game since his £9m arrival from Leeds, were signed in the final window of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign.

Lo Celso initially joined on loan, becoming permanent under Jose Mourinho.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and co would be ill-advised to ignore serial winner Conte given not only his track record but also his determination to make this work.

He added: ‘My first target is to try to create a foundation for this team and club. The results are later. If you don’t have that then we speak about (achieving) nothing. You can only hope.

‘We will do everything, from now until the end of the season to reach the best result for Tottenham because I think the fans deserve this.

‘The path in front of us is long. I express this to the fans and I don’t like to ask this, but I ask for their patience. I understand the disappointment of our fans because for many years we didn’t win.

‘But it’s important to create a unity, keep the right enthusiasm and try to build together something important for this club and for Tottenham. All the environment must have enthusiasm.

‘If I see enthusiasm and a want to stay together from the start until the end, then I’m ready to fight against everything to bring Tottenham in the best position.’