Conte will have sex advice for Kane, hated Jose and 'had to eat dung' at Inter

Tottenham are in such desperate need of the former that they finally seem prepared to accept the latter when hiring the enigmatic Italian.

Conte has been installed as the heavy favourite to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked on Monday following a poor run of results.

The perception of Spurs for decades has been that they're too soft but Conte has made a name for himself as one of football's fiercest disciplinarians.

The 52-year-old's managerial spells are almost always successful, but rarely last long, because this is a man who cares little for making friends.

And that is why Conte has no problem getting involved in his players personal life to ensure no stone is left unturned in his bid to end up on top.

While at Inter Milan, the ex-midfielder memorably instructed his players on how to have sex in order to maximise on-field performance.

He told L'Equipe in 2019: "During the season, I advise my players to have sex for short periods and with the minimum of effort, and better use positions where they are under their partners.

"And preferably, with their wives, because if with others, well, that needs extra action."

Conte's methods had a positive effect at Inter as Romelu Lukaku scored for fun on the pitch to drive the Nerazzurri to the Serie A title last season.

The five-time Serie A winner tailors his squad to suit his system, not the other way around - meaning some big Spurs stars could be on the chopping block.

"When I was in Italy, I liked to say, no, that the manager, the coach, is like a tailor," Conte told a press conference when he took over at Chelsea.

"A tailor who must build a dress, the best dress for the team."

Conte has won five league titles with three different clubs, Juventus, Chelsea and Inter, and oversaw brilliant transformations for all three sides.

But his methods are not without their shortcomings, with WhatsApp arguments with Diego Costa and training ground fights with Lautaro Martinez among his most notable feuds.

And it was Conte's problems with Inter's hierarchy that ultimately ended his time in Italy as he regularly hit out at the board during his tenure.

The ex-Italy boss, who famously said 'I'm not an ass-licker', also once accused the club of not protecting him or his players from criticism.

He told Sky Sport Italia after the end of his first season in charge: "It has been a tough year on a personal level, very tough.

"I don't think the players saw their work recognised, I don't think I saw my work recognised and we all received very little protection from the club.

"We had to eat dung for months and got zero protection.

"My problem is that I have a vision, I see the path we have to take and I know what we need to do."

It's not just players and board members who Conte likes to fall-out with - the former Juventus captain was not Jose Mourinho's biggest fan either.

The two were involved in a highly public war of words during their time at Chelsea and Manchester United respectively.

Responding to a jibe from Mourinho about match-fixing in Italy, Conte said: "You show you are a little man. A little man.

"You don't know very well [what] is the situation. But I know him very well in the past. In the past he was a little man in many circumstances, is a little man in the present and for sure he will be a little man in the future.

"I remember a stupid example with (Claudio) Ranieri.

"When he offended Ranieri for his English. Then when Ranieri was sacked he put on a shirt for Ranieri. You are a fake."

Conte himself has been called many things during his career but his reputation for turning mess into magic has meant he's anything but fake.

And after the state Spurs have been left in following Nuno's short-term spell in the dug-out, Daniel Levy is banking it all on Conte being the real deal!