Antonio Conte is excited about taking over the managerial role at Tottenham Hotspur. However, a former manager warns the Italian tactician that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is a difficult person to work with as he takes over for Nuno Espírito Santo.
Portuguese manager André Villas-Boas was at the helm of Tottenham for the 2012-13 season, and in his lone season with north London-based club, he discussed the issues he had with Levy.
Villas-Boas spoke with The Sun, where he stated the lack of clarity which is why Tottenham has failed to put together a project that led to trophies under Levy’s tenure.
“It’s up to him and (owner) Joe Lewis to decide what they want for the organization. But it’s a difficult organization because of that lack of clarity. I don’t want to turn this into a criticism of Daniel,” Villas-Boas said.
“Everybody has their ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, but Daniel is not an easy person to deal with. There are a lot of things that have to be said face to face, each side with truthfulness. But sometimes they look like they don’t happen that way.”
Conte is the fifth permanent manager under Levy’s tenure, but the 52-year-old isn’t one to take any nonsense from ownership. Tottenham will reportedly spend big to meet Conte’s demands from a club he works for, and he isn’t hesitant to leave a project that feels like cutting corners.
It will be interesting to see if Levy does indeed change and present a straightforward project under Conte.
I am still staggered by the fact that Levy has convinced Conte to take the job, his powers of persuasion knows no bounds, Mourinho I can understand but Conte, I don’t get him.
The interference and poor decision making by Levy in manager/player matters over the years has proved to be instrumental in the failure of the club gaining honours over the years.
I think the current long serving squad are disillusioned and have lost all confidence in Levy and the board in the manner in which they run the club, despite changes in management trying to inspire them, performances have faltered badly.
The hiring of Conte who we know demands full commitment will need to inspire Kane, Son and the rest to get them to a level not seen since the best days of Poch, I don’t know if he can do that, or for how long.
Jeez
I am in the top 5% hardcore who want Levy gone and to take the large minority of Homers with him “oooooh shiny stadium,,,,,,,mmmmm neckoil”
but I actually believe this is the one he is Mourinho on ‘roids. There was something not quite right about the Mourinho appointment but I still expected a pot or two but this time I expect a whole lot more (shame we have already lost 5 games).
Possibly.
I’ve just had a look at that snatch of Paratici and I get the distinct feeling that Levy’s up to his usual tricks and Conte over time won’t get the funds he wants.
True!
I think that’s just a standard statement to avoid selling clubs rubbing there hands to together and upping their prices, at least I hope it is.
He also inherited a much better squad there too, just underperforming, but for the most part better players.
Levy’s had to do something in the short term but will he accede to Conte’s spending wishes? Only time will tell. I wouldn’t be having a bet that this will have a happy ending but maybe we’re in for a surprise.
I don’t like the sound of Fabio saying we don’t need to spend! Is Levy still hanging on to the delusion that our deadwood can be converted into motivated winners?
A mate of mine said when Mourinho was appointed he couldn’t imagine two people more deserving of each other than Levy and the Portuguese!
Not certain, but fairly likely scenario, I fear, Ballina.
Easier to be successful at Chelsea, of course. Wads of money always available for spending on new players!
I get your point about not advertising the funds to keep prices down,but clubs will know or expect Conte to to have them available.
January is a difficult window to get good players in,particularly if they are with clubs in the the top tier of European competitions so it might be a slow start for the new manager.
Come the summer he will certainly know who to get rid of,but again who would buy our deadwood,especially if Levy insists on unreasonable prices for them.
That will be the testing time for the relationship between Levy and Conte.
Think what Paratici said was billy bulls**t……he’s not going to say we have funds now, as he knows the prices will automatically go up for players they are looking at.
Just like for Man City when their new owners first arrived….and now which will happen at Newcastle.
We will do lots of business come January, shipping in Conte’s requests and shipping out the deadwood.
Danny boy has to let go of the purse strings, if he doesn’t a repeat from the crowd on Saturday will return, with no where for the ENIC boys to go.
I read somewhere that with a full stadium on matchday it equates to 6 million squid in the bin for the club.
on the touchline ..
Best to keep your powder dry…if Conte has come in to prove what a cracking squad we have he is more deluded than Daniel ..they can both be carted off in the same ambulance.
Whatever happens I’m looking forward to seeing Conte conting on the touchiness..
Berate mate …give it to em.
Not really shocking news.
The media are hardly likely to come out and say positive things about Conte to Spurs.
Look, he’s an elite manager and it’s a great coup getting him to manage our team. It’s not an easy job but i still think he will do very well.
If what Paratici says in that short video above is true,then Conte could eclispe Nuno as the shortest tenure in PL history.The rot in this squad is too engrained to fixed quickly and with no expense.
I want Conte to succeed but fear the worst.It would be ironic if Mourinho and Conte both bought success to Chelsea,but failed miserably at Spurs thanks in no short measure to Levy.Leopards and spots.
I can see this ending in similar vain as Jose. Everything will be fine for the short term, but something will come up and Levy will interfere as usual.
It won’t take a lot for Conte to get fired up and it’ll end in disaster. I really hope I’m wrong and Levy has finally learnt after 20 years. But we’ve seen it too many times, to think this time it’ll be different.
Just wish I had the optimism like some other fans to get excited by Conte appointment, not fear of repeating the past.
As you say I am in total agreement that Saturdays anger aimed for the first time at our vertically challenged chairman had an immediate effect. First it signalled the end of Nuno but also the pursuit of one the highest regarded managers in the game today.
Had Levy not done so would have made all the remains home games this season a nightmare for him but great entertainment for us seeing him squirm.
The employment of Conte has bought Levy time. The fan base will certainly get behind the new manager and team at least in the short term and probably as far as the summer transfer window. However if the summer window turns out to be the same damp squib as previous ones all hell will be let loose
No Sh– Sherlock.
I thought it was fiftieth.
A match made in hell…
I think Saturday response what the wake up call, the abuse and boos around the stadium aimed towards Danny boy must have given him an outer body experience.
As thicked skinned as he thinks he is, when you have 60000 venting their pent up anger on a very public domain, the penny (well pounds in Danny’s case) has finally dropped.
As long as he stays in the background, opens his wallet and let’s the Italians run the football side of things, there is hope.
If he reverts back to his normal persona, then ENIC will be finished! A win win in my book
Fabio has come out and said we don’t need and won’t be spending any money on players…..phew, there was me getting worried we might do a Leed’s……praise the universe he was telling fibs….
“teenth”…there you go 😉
I’m struggling to see how two personalities like Levy and Conte are going to work together for 18 days let alone 18 months. The only way it will work is if Levy has honestly changed his somewhat shady character.
Back to leopards and spots again.
I’m clinging to the belief that Levy has been pushed back and wedged tightly in a corner by the fiasco that was his Nuno hiring decision, added to in a somewhat dramatic way at the stadium on Saturday with the “Levy out” chants echoing around his stadium.
Has the man got any humility? Has he go any humanity? Has he the ability to admit his catalogue of errors since the Poch debacle, where he steadfastly refused to support his world class manager and allowed THFC to slide back down to being a mid table outfit under his watch. He is solely culpable for this farce due to his penny pinching transfer policy that watered down a once fine team to become average at best.
Has the penny finally dropped that as a football CEO he is a clown?
Only if this admission occurs within his bald little bonce will recovery begin. Otherwise the alternative is just more of the same, more money wasted on mid table players and kids that are unlikely to morph into top 4 players due to the law of averages.
However if he has realised the error of his ways and this Conte appointment is his admission of previous failures, then maybe, just maybe the club can turn a corner. But to achieve success again (limited success admittedly), Levy has to face his demons and get out his wallet. This will be paramount to somebody suffering from arachnophobia being sent into a basement full of cobwebs and spiders.
Will he be able to do it? Make no mistake although we have a Manager and a DOF who are both extremely aggressive in their player requirements it is still Levy that controls the purse strings and Joe Lewis who ultimately controls the funding.
As can be seen a dramatic sea change in player acquisition needs to take place. It can only happen if Lewis and Levy give Conte and Paratici the green light. I expect something to happen in January, but what about next summer? Can the habits of lifetimes be changed? I will believe it only when it happens. Why? Because I’ve known Levy and ENIC for 20 plus years, that why.
There is one small change these days however; Levy is a cornered rat on a sinking ship. But rescue approaches on the basis that funds must be made available for Levy to keep his chin above water. Will recent events concentrate Levy’s mind that if he doesn’t change his ways he will eventually drown.
We shall see.
Shifty
A Snake
Conniving
Dishonest
Untrustworthy
Take your pick, any of the above can be applied to Levy
“Conte is the fifth permanent manager under Levy’s tenure” – do you want to edit that?
Levy called out as shifty then