Tottenham manager Antonio Conte on the touchline against Leeds United
Journalist Wayne Veysey has shared the real reason behind Antonio Conte‘s infamous Tottenham Hotspur rant last weekend.
The Lowdown: Spurs attacked…
The former Chelsea boss sparked a firestorm with his public attack on Spurs, the very culture of the north London club, Tottenham’s players and even the Lilywhites board.
After Spurs squandered a late 3-1 lead in their Premier League clash with Southampton, eventually drawing 3-3, Conte didn’t hold back in his fury.
Questioning the attitude of his squad at the time, Conte hinted his players don’t like to operate outside of their comfort zone and brought into question the club’s direction under Levy in the last 20 years.
“I think it’s much better to go into the problem because the problem is that, for another time we showed that we are not a team,” Conte said (via The Daily Echo).
“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart (in).
“Why? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don’t play for something important yeah. They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.
“It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench.”
The Latest: Journalist shares reason behind Conte rant…
Writing for Football Insider, Veysey has made a bold claim on what truly sparked the outrage from Conte – and it was apparently a ‘clear’ behind-scenes decision by Levy.
He states that the Spurs chief refused to sanction moves for Conte’s top transfer targets and former stars, Romelu Lukaku and Stefan de Vrij, as the Italian aimed to transform his side into title-contenders.
Levy apparently made it blunt he would not move for the Belgian or centre-half, a call which ‘hugely frustrated’ Conte.
The Verdict: Eye-opening…
While Spurs have spent around £155 million since the summer of 2022, you can also argue a portion of this money went on players Conte didn’t actually call for.
Djed Spence, for instance, was described as a club signing by Conte with another wing-back, Destiny Udogie, not yet linking up with the north Londoners.
Questions also surround whether Conte really sanctioned a move for Danjuma as the tactician hinted he didn’t fit into his system at Tottenham.
This claim by Veysey is certainly an eye-opening one but some evidence suggests it’s entirely plausible.
About the Author
