Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Antonio Conte's transfer history examined as Tottenham boss pleads with Levy

mirror.co.uk, 25 January 2022, 11:13
Antonio Conte has made it clear that he will need to be significantly backed if he is to successfully help Tottenham Hotspur become a club that is capable of competing for trophies

Fears are growing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as to whether Antonio Conte could walk away from the club if he is not well backed.

The Italian is one of Spurs' most impressive appointments in recent years and seen as the man who could guide the club back into the hunt for silverware.

However, with his current crop of players, Conte has not hesitated in making it clear that he won't be able to achieve those goals, stressing that he needs to be well-backed in the transfer markets.

Yet there seems to be some reluctance from Daniel Levy to press on with Conte-instructed business.

But does Levy have good reason to put the breaks on any big-money moves? Mirror Football has taken a look at Conte's transfer business at his last two clubs.

Inter Milan

Despite spending just two years at Inter, Conte didn't hesitate to bring in a new wave of talent to the squad. When Inter lifted the Serie A trophy last season, credit must go to the manager for how well he reinvented the club.

One of his first pieces of business at the helm was signing experienced defender Diego Godin on a free transfer, a smart acquisition, before making Matteo Politano's loan move permanent (£19million) and splashing the cash on Valentino Lazaro (£20m). The pair provided depth but hardly made an impact for the club.

Young goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao was also purchased before being sent out on loan, as was Eddie Salcedo.

Inter's best business under Conte then ensued as they acquired the services of Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella on loan to buy deals, whilst also signing Cristiano Biraghi and Alexis Sanchez on loan.

Romelu Lukaku was the marquee signing of the window, joining from Manchester United for £66m in a move that revived his career. The Belgian has since joined Chelsea for £97.5m having scored 64 goals for Inter in 95 appearances - firing Inter to the Serie A title in the process.

In 2019/20 the January transfer window, Conte's business was cheap but effective. He signed Ashley Young from United for a mere £1m and Victor Moses on loan, who provided cover in the wingback roles. Christian Eriksen was also purchased from Tottenham for £24m, who played a rotational but key role in the title success.

During Conte's second summer in charge, the manager did not spend great amounts but invested wisely.

Barella's (£29m) and Sensi's (£22m) moves were made permanent, and Arturo Vidal and Sanchez both joined the club on a free transfer. Matteo Darmian also joined the club from Parma on loan.

Achraf Hakimi was then purchased, a star performer in the title success, for £38m from Real Madrid. The Moroccan asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the world after his purchase, scoring seven and assisting eight in 37 Serie A performances and banking the club £20m profit at the end of the season with the sale to PSG.

Former Manchester City defender Aleksandr Kolarov was his last piece of notable business at the club.

Chelsea

As soon as Conte was appointed as Chelsea manager in 2016 he went about filling his squad with hard-working, versatile talents.

The 52-year-old was well-backed in his first window at Stamford Bridge, and the club reaped the benefits. He signed Michy Batshuayi from Marseille for £35m before making three top signings.

N'Golo Kante of Leicester City (£32m), David Luiz from PSG (£31m) and wingback Marcos Alonso of Fiorentina (£20m) all joined the Blues and were influential in the club's title success that season.

The January transfer window of that campaign was silent, but Conte then splashed the cash wastefully the following summer.

Tiemoue Bakayako (£36m) Olivier Giroud from Arsenal (£15m), Emerson (£15m), creative midfielder Ross Barkley (£15m), Premier League winner Danny Drinkwater (£34m) and Italian wingback Davide Zappacosta (£22m, Torino) were all signed.

The best purchase of the crop that year was undoubtedly Antonio Rudiger, who joined from Roma for £31m and has since become a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge and one of the best defenders in the league. However, with his contract expiring, who knows how much longer that will be the case.

Alvaro Morata was also purchased for an eyewatering £60m from Real Madrid, and although he did provide good linkup play and hold up play, his 24 goals in 72 games had him labelled as a 'flop' at the club before Conte was sacked.

Show more

Top News

24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will reportedly have to pay a penalty price of £5m if they renege on their obligation to sign Jadon Sancho in the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly braced for competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Sunderland's Chris Rigg. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea must pay Manchester United £5million if they don't sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer, talkSPORT understands. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk France dramatically completed a terrific UEFA Nations League comeback over Croatia as they reached the semi-finals with a 5-4 penalty-shootout win following a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg victory and 2-2 aggregate draw at the Stade de France. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal advanced into the UEFA Nations League semi-finals after beating Denmark 5-2 in the second leg at home on Sunday night, winning 5-3 on aggregate after extra time. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League courtesy of a penalty-shootout success over the Netherlands on Sunday night, with the two teams finally being separated after two blockbuster contests. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has revealed the formation he would have gone with to unlock the best of England's Golden Generation. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Phil Parkinson says win, lose or draw, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have his back. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Julian Nagelsmann's Germany scraped into the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League after drawing 3-3 in a dramatic quarter-final second leg against Italy at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday night. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Egypt will aim to make it back-to-back wins in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Sierra Leone to the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday for a matchday six encounter. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In-form Ecuador will make the trip to Santiago to face Chile in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday knowing they are within touching distance of reaching the finals. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have reportedly identified Genoa centre-back Koni De Winter as a potential replacement for Manchester United-linked Jarrad Branthwaite. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo was denied from the penalty spot just six minutes into Portugal's crucial Nations League clash with Denmark. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes and Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes will all drop out of the Brazil starting lineup for Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against rivals Argentina. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is pushing to start Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against Brazil in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Edin Dzeko has shown off the brutal facial injury he suffered playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will look to officially secure their place at World Cup 2026 when they face rivals Brazil in Tuesday's clash at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Tanzania at Stade Municipal on Tuesday. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria have announced their starting lineups for Sunday's fixture in the UEFA Nations League. 23 March 2025 talksport.com It's almost been eight years since Andrea Pirlo retired from football, but he hasn't lost his world-class free-kick abilities. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Malaga's teenage winger Antonio Cordero ahead of the summer transfer window. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly set their asking price for Ferran Torres, with the versatile attacker expected to be on the move during this summer's transfer window. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Steve Bruce has passionately responded to Dwight Gayle after he claimed he 'didn't do tactics' when in charge of Newcastle. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji this summer. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Luka Modric has revealed that he is yet to speak with Real Madrid over his future beyond the end of the campaign. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Flash back to the first few months of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur reign, where the Australian took a marvellous 26 Premier League points from 30 on offer, the most by any head coach in their first 10 matches in the competition. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is reportedly giving serious consideration to returning to the Premier League during this summer's transfer window, with Liverpool said to be his preferred destination.