Antonio Conte is settling back into London life as he took over at Tottenham Hotspur recently, and he has already been “very impressed” by one man in particular.
When taking over at a club, you have to do your own work on the players you have available and how they train, but you also have to decide on your staff. Some managers take the same people with them wherever they go and others use different people at different clubs.
Antonio Conte decided to keep Ryan Mason in a role with the academy at Spurs after taking the job. A decision that has gone down well with John Wenham of Lilywhite Rose podcast: “I also feel the appointment of Ryan Mason, a guy who knows all the academy players inside out will give them a foot in the door when Antonio needs a few boys to step up. You know that appointment’s just a win win to me.
“I think the fact that it wasn’t forced upon Antonio; we’ve heard Alasdair Gold report on that this week. It was very much Antonio observed those first couple of sessions where his work permit wasn’t in place, where Ryan was taking the sessions and Antonio was very, very impressed with him and the work he did. He was the one that went out of his way to say, look, I want to make you a part of my coaching set up.”
After his history with the club, Ryan Mason’s appointment is clearly one that has gone down well with the Spurs fans. It is always an advantage for an incoming manager to have a mix of his own staff who he trusts and knows he can lean on, while also having existing members of staff to make the transition easier.