Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been accused of disrupting the preparations and the development of young players during his time at the club.
According to a report from Football London, the 53-year-old manager would often pull out young players from their training sessions with the youth team so that they can help out with drills for the senior team. Apparently, Conte pulled these stunts before important matches at the youth level as well.
Understandably, the young players at the club were not too happy about the situation and they felt that the gap between the academy and the first team have never been wider.
Conte has never been a manager who promotes young talents and helps them develop. His willingness to invest in established stars and overlook talented young players at the club is hardly a surprise.
It will be interesting to see who comes in as a replacement for the Italian manager at the end of the season. Former manager Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a return. The Argentine did well to groom young players during his time at Spurs and his return could be a boost for the club’s academy and he could set out a clear pathway between the academy and the first team.
Tottenham cannot compete with clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City in terms of resources. They must look to groom talented young players into first-team stars who will end up saving millions for them in the transfer market.
