Tottenham news: This may be the real reason for Antonio Conte controversy after source’s reveal – pundit
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte may have been deflecting attention away from his players with his controversial comments in the press last week, according to Kevin Phillips.
The 2000 European Golden Shoe winner, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suspects the 52-year-old drew attention onto himself after “poor performances on the pitch.”
Conte caused a stir last week after claiming his squad had been weakened in the January transfer window.
However, as quoted by the BBC (18 February), the Italian manager later clarified that his squad is only “weakened” in terms of numbers, not quality.
The comments clearly had no effect on Conte’s team, who stunned Manchester City in a 3-2 win at the Etihad on Saturday.
When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of Conte’s comments, Phillips said: “What were the conditions when they signed Conte?
“Does he have the final say on players coming in? We never truly know that but I am a great believer in the manager having final say on transfers.
“You don’t get as many issues if the transfer is responsible for the signings. The buck stops with the manager.
“Results had been poor up until the Man City game. Conte’s comments in the week caused a stir, which is not ideal for Tottenham.
“But perhaps he was trying to deflect after poor performances on the pitch. We just don’t know.”
A French source told Football Insider on Friday (18 February) that Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Conte amid fears Mauricio Pochettino could become the next Man United manager.
Conte’s contract with Spurs runs until the summer of 2023.
In other news, a pundit has claimed Tottenham could sign Paul Pogba on ‘massive contract’ after reliable journalist’s update.