DANNY MURPHY:: I love Antonio Conte’s energy but his 18-month contract at Tottenham is a big worry

DANNY MURPHY: I love Antonio Conte’s energy but his 18-month contract at Tottenham is a big worry as it will be almost impossible to get the club competitive in that time

  • I love Antonio Conte’s energy and his appointment is a statement by Tottenham
  • But his 18-month deal is a big worry and it’s a bit of a warning sign to me 
  • Nevertheless, Conte knows how he wants to play and will make Tottenham better


I first saw Antonio Conte at Euro 2016. I was covering Italy v Spain in Paris and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d never seen any manager with such energy, kicking and heading every ball. When Italy scored, he ended up on top of the dug-out.

It’s been suggested his players find it hard to live with that intensity, but I don’t think Tottenham’s players will have any right to protest. They’ve not done too well without him, so embrace it, even the double or triple training sessions.

There’s no doubt the Italian is a statement appointment by my former club, but there is one aspect to it that has left me perplexed. What is the thinking behind the manager signing only an 18-month deal?

Antonio Conte has impressed me with his energy and his appointment will be welcomed

He knows how he wants to play and he will make Spurs a better team without a doubt

He knows how he wants to play and he will make Spurs a better team without a doubt 

The relatively short contract does throw up a bit of a warning sign to me, though I totally get why Tottenham fans will feel optimistic again ahead of their game against Everton. But it is going to be almost impossible, even for Conte, to get Spurs to be competitive with the Premier League big boys within a season and a half.

He’ll make Spurs better, without doubt, and he has a good relationship with Fabio Paratici, the club’s managing director of football. In the short term, Conte will at least change the mood around the club, which had been toxic. His timing is good, too.

Spurs have a nice set of fixtures coming up before Liverpool on December 19. String a few results together before then and the stadium will be a vibrant place again.

Conte is a manager who knows how he wants to play and I don’t think he’ll care whether he has to fit in with the Tottenham tradition. He set his stall out against Vitesse in his first game in charge on Thursday night with a 3-4-3 that offered width up front. He’ll decide whether he wants an extra midfielder, but playing with wing-backs worked for him at Chelsea. He’s fortunate that Emerson Royale and Sergio Reguilon are better suited to being wing-backs than full-backs.

Tottenham fans could be in for a treat if Conte persists with a front three in the near future

Tottenham fans could be in for a treat if Conte persists with a front three in the near future

If he persists with a front three, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura will create excitement for the fans — Nuno Espirito Santo’s mistake was not letting the wide players express themselves.

The priority will be to toughen up the team because they leaked too many goals. I’d be amazed if he wasn’t given guarantees by Daniel Levy about signing players and I think a creative midfielder who can build play from deep is a must. Spurs haven’t had anyone like that since Christian Eriksen.

All eyes will be on Kane. Conte will respect him as a proven goalscorer and someone who can drop deep and play others in, but unless the England captain regains form soon I’m sure the instructions to him will become more rigid.

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