Chelsea advisor Piet de Visser has claimed that Antonio Conte’s way of doing things has a ‘shelf life’ and that Erik Ten Haag would be a much better long-term option as a head coach.
Conte has an enviable record, having won league titles at Juventus, Chelsea and most recently Inter Milan. Spurs fans will be hoping that the Italian is the man to end the club’s trophy drought and take them back into the Champions League.
The 52-year-old has insisted that he is not afraid of the challenge of getting Spurs competing with the best sides in the Premier League.
However, De Visser, who has previously managed in the Eredivisie and has worked as a scout, believes Ten Hag is a better project coach than the Italian.
Ten Hag was linked heavily with the Spurs job during the summer before the club hired Nuno Espirito Santo.
Fabrizio Romano revealed at the time on Chris Cowlin’s YouTube Channel that Tottenham turned down the Ajax boss as they were not “100 per cent convinced” by him.
De Visser has now told Ajax Showtime regarding Ten Hag: “Ten Hag will be on the lips of many top clubs.
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“Big club bosses want to be the best and look mainly for results. Then you also have owners who want to do that with beautiful football. Ten Hag shows both, and with that, he has scored enormously abroad.
“I see a trainer who has developed himself very strongly by building his career and by being eager to learn. Ten Hag listens to others. He did the same initially at Ajax.
“You must not ignore the wishes of top players, but you mustn’t be a lapdog either. It is important to convince them with knowledge and exercise material. He is very good at that.
“I have few doubts with Ten Hag. That is also because trainers have to be a bit maniacal in my eyes. He has that too. That drive, the continuous demand for improvement and pointing to lesser moments.
“I have often seen players not being corrected and therefore performing less well. You mustn’t overdo it like Antonio Conte because then your method will have a shelf life. Ten Hag also knows that very well.”
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There is no doubt that Conte’s methods do have a shelf-life. His career shows that he rarely stays beyond two years at any club and players understandably get tired of the intensity he brings.
However, the Italian has demonstrated that he can turn clubs around and deliver results within that time. The jury is still out on Ten Hag as far as I am concerned as he is unproven outside the Ajax system, which is unique compared to other big jobs in world football.
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