Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella, who is rumoured to be on Tottenham’s radar, has spoken of his admiration for Antonio Conte.
Barella evolved into one of the best midfielders in the Serie A under the Spurs boss and was a valued part of Inter’s march to the Scudetto last season under the 52-year-old.
Spurs were credited with an interest in the Italy international during the summer transfer window, with Marca even claiming at the time that the North Londoners were the front-runners for the midfielder.
However, Barella ended up staying put at the San Siro and is having another solid season for the Nerazzurri.
The Daily Mail claimed last month that Conte would like to reunite with the 24-year-old in North London and had asked the Spurs hierarchy to pursue him in January.
Barella has now spoken in glowing terms about the Italian head coach, admitting that he owes him ‘a lot’.
When asked how it was working under Conte, the Inter midfielder told CBS: “Wonderful. It was an intense and difficult journey as working under Conte is very hard.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“The emotion of winning Serie A in 2020/21 was huge after a year of fighting for that and the Europa League. I owe Conte a lot.
“He brought me to Inter and wanted me here. He is an extreme coach who builds a winning mentality.
“He wants the whole team around him thinking only about winning. That is his great skill, plus being very tactically good. He gives you incredible winning belief.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Barella is likely to prove too expensive for Spurs, considering that he is contracted to Inter until 2026.
However, his relationship with Conte might give the North London club a small chance if the 52-year-old can persuade the midfielder that Spurs can compete for top honours in the near future.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
