Can Antonio Conte really take Tottenham Hotspur to the next level?

Antonio Conte’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur in November 2021 was a huge statement of intent by the North London side, much to the joy of their fanbase.

Conte has enjoyed a hugely successful career to date, with four Serie A titles to his name from spells at Juventus and Inter Milan, as well as a Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea.

He made his return to English football just a day after Spurs sacked former manager Nuno Espirito Santo, with the latter struggling just five months into the job.

The Italian’s arrival at the club may have been a shock to many fans, with Spurs being unable to challenge for the title since the 2016/2017 season, where they eventually finished seven points behind champions Chelsea.

After a mostly positive start to his reign, it seems as though Spurs could be on track for a successful end to the season, but can Conte take them to the next level?

Ultimately, yes he can. He has been able to win a top-flight league title with three different teams in his career, with a style of football that seems to bring the best out of his players. Conte is widely considered to be one of the best managers in world football, so the Lilywhites have a gem on their hands.

However, in order for Conte to deliver success at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 52-year-old needs to be backed by the club in the transfer market.

With the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris at their disposal it is not as if their squad lacks any talent, but it is clear to see that some areas of the team need improving.

The Evening Standard claim that Conte held positive talks on Monday with chairman Daniel Levy and director of football Fabio Paratici regarding his squad and who they could look to bring in during the January transfer window.

Adama Traore of Wolves has been most notably linked with a move to North London, especially with Steven Bergwijn potentially departing this month. Tanguy Ndombele could also leave either on loan or permanently before the window shuts, whilst AC Milan’s Franck Kessie is a rumoured arrival to solve their midfield woes.

Conte will inevitably be keen to bring in players he wants, yet, the day Daily Mail reported that Spurs will have the final say on all transfer activity.

Even if Conte signs a strong set of players and both he and the club were happy with their recent progress, the gap between them and the top three teams may be too great for short-term success.

Of course, a Premier League title for Spurs is extremely unlikely, especially considering the sheer strength of leaders Manchester City, but even in cup competitions against that calibre of team, it is clear to see that they are quite far off the top.

Both of their Carabao Cup semi-final legs against Chelsea prove just that. The first game at Stamford Bridge saw sloppy defending from the Spurs backline, including a calamitous own goal from Ben Davies, allowing the Blues to take a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg with ease.

Wednesday night saw somewhat of an improvement on the reverse fixture, but a goalkeeping error from Pierluigi Gollini allowed Antonio Rudiger to score, effectively sealing a spot in the final for the European Champions.

Spurs threatened throughout the rest of the game and had two penalties overturned while also seeing a goal disallowed for offside. Some would say they were unlucky, but replays showed that VAR was right to change the original decisions.

Despite this, Conte’s side were poor over both legs, with Chelsea not having to play to their best football in order to progress. He has though, set the record for the most matches unbeaten in the Premier League at the start of a Spurs manager’s reign with eight.

The former Italy boss has changed Spurs’ fortunes for the better on the whole and there is a general sense of belief around the club at the moment, although, he will have a lot of work to do if he is to help them win their first major trophy since 2008.

Regardless, if Conte can get the right players through the doors at Spurs, then he is certainly capable of turning them into a very competitive force for the next few months.

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