Journalist and talkSPORT pundit Alex Crook has criticised Antonio Conte and his tenure in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.
This month has seen the north London club get knocked out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, as well as recently flapping a 3-1 lead over Southampton by drawing 3-3 in their latest Premier League outing.
Following the draw at St. Mary’s, the Italian, who has seen his future be brought into question recently, launched a scathing verbal attack on the Spurs players and the way the club has been run over the past 20 years.
This has now led to one journalist sharing his verdict on the manager and what he’s done, or hasn’t done, during his time in charge of the Lilywhites.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Crook said this about the 53-year-old.
He said: “Antonio Conte, for me, is the archetypal chequebook manager. He’s not someone who improves players, he wants to buy teams and buy his way to success.
“In fact, if you look at that Tottenham squad, there’s more players who have gone backwards under Antonio Conte than have improved, Son [Heung-min] is the prime example.
“But even someone like Yves Bissouma, Brighton were reluctant to let him go in the summer, because he’d been such a good player for them. I thought he’d be one of the signings of the season, Conte has got nothing out of Yves Bissouma.”
With 75 games under his belt as Spurs’ manager, the Italian has won 41, drawn 11 and lost 23 in the process.
Despite their recent disappointments, the north London club are currently in fourth position in the Premier League table with 10 games left to play.
Has Antonio Conte improved any player at Spurs?
Yes
No
As Crook mentioned, the 53-year-old has seen Spurs spend a lot of money on players since he arrived, as has been the case at previous clubs he’s managed.
With Bissouma only starting eight of the 20 Premier League games he’s appeared in this season and earning himself one of the lowest overall performance ratings in the squad (6.26/10), it’s easy to see why Crook picked out the midfielder as someone who has not flourished under the current Spurs boss.
While the manager may not have been able to deliver the club a trophy, unless his future is made clear, it could be another case of Tottenham having to find another head coach to take the reins and lead the team out of their current situation.