IT'S time to stop being so crap," was
A similar sentiment would not be inappropriate at Spurs if, as expected, Conte is named the successor to
That speech, just over a decade ago, may not have been poetic, but it was effective. Conte turned a
In fact he is the closest thing in elite
European football management to a sure-fire winner; none of his last four jobs can be classed as anything other than a success.
At
At Chelsea he shook up a team that had finished 10th months earlier, striking on a winning 3-4-3 formula that gleaned 13 wins in a row and, ultimately, the
And at Inter Milan last season he finally ended the Juve stranglehold that he had initiated 10 years earlier, delivering Inter's first Serie A crown since
Each job showcased what Conte is about: taking a team that is seen to be underperforming, putting a rocket up them and turning them into champions - or a good side, at the very least.
In that sense, he fits the bill at Tottenham. Since the club's high of reaching the
The departure of
Spurs desperately need an experienced hand who knows how to deliver and will demand more from a squad that has looked nothing like the sum of its parts for two years or more.
Conte does come with some strings attached, however. He doesn't tend to hang around for long - his three years at
He left Inter during the summer following their title win after failing to receive assurances about transfers, despite seeing more than 20 players sign for the club in his two years.
His departure from
Conte himself doesn't come cheap, either. After giving him an improved contract for delivering the title, Chelsea sacked him with a year left on the deal at a cost of £26m.
His appointment would be a gamble, and a potentially expensive one at that. But if it delivers a return to the
And in a season when the top three are streets ahead but fourth place is up for grabs, chairman
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