BEVERLY HILLS, June 02, (THEWILL) – The disappointing season of north London English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur was highlighted when the respected Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho was fired from his managerial position on Monday, April 19 and 29-year-old Spurs Academy Graduate, Ryan Mason, was placed in charge as interim manager for the rest of the season.
In their continued search for a more permanent deal in the technical manager position, it has been revealed that Tottenham have spoken to title-winning former Inter Milan manager, Antonio Conte, and former Chief Football Officer for Juventus, Fabio Paratici, as well.
Conte easily became the target for Spurs after falling out with austerity measures planned to take place to deal with the impact of the coronavirus on the finances of Serie A champions Inter. The club made Conte their leading candidate to replace Jose Mourinho and part of that objective includes bringing in the former Juventus sporting director Paratici to join the staff at Spurs.
The winning mentality of Conte is a strong attraction for Spurs who have been without silverware for such a long time that it is embarrassing given the quality of talent in the side. This is reflected in the seasons that main striker Harry Kane has picked up the Highest Goal Scorer award. Conte, on the other hand, is a proven winner and recently steered Inter to their first Serie A title for 11 years.
The 51-year-old has also proven himself in the EPL while he was at Stamford Bridge as the manager of Chelsea, where he won the Premier League in scintillating fashion. Conte also began a reformation of Serie A side Juventus that saw them go on to win a series of Scudetto titles until Conte returned to the Italian League with Inter to stop it.
While in Juventus, Conte worked with Paratici and the latter continued in the Turin-based side until this summer when he exited. Spurs contacted the 48-year-old and have remained in talks while also checking in with Conte.
Bringing in a manager of Conte’s calibre will be refreshing for Spurs after the disappointment of the 2020/2021 campaign, which left them seventh, enough for a season-ending one spot better than last year. They ended up in the maiden edition of the inaugural Europa Conference League.
THEWILL recalls that the Lilywhites led the EPL standings for four weeks in December with Mourinho in charge, looking like proper contenders and choice favourites to hold the position to the end and secure a long-awaited domestic title.
However, a dismal run of results saw them drop down the table and go completely out of contention for the trophy leading to the ultimate sacking of Mourinho just six days before the League Cup final against Manchester City which they lost 1-0 with Mason in the dugout for Spurs.
Excited for the opportunity, Mason stepped in as the interim boss and ensured that Spurs finished in a fairly stronger position and were above perennial city rivals Arsenal, who also endured a horrendous empty-handed season, in the final positions of the table.
THEWILL notes that other names that have been linked to the vacancy at Spurs include the previous boss, who led them to the final of the 2019 UEFA Champions League which they lost to fellow EPL side Liverpool, the Argentine manager of French giants Paris Saint-Germain, Mauricio Pochettino.
It is reported that Pochettino had asked to be released from his contract internally at the Ligue 1 club with interests from his services, initially from Real Madrid before they engaged Carlo Ancelotti, and from Spurs. It is uncertain if PSG will allow him leave with one year remaining on his contract and, even if they do, if he will return to London for Spurs.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
