Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Antonio Conte is exactly the kind of appointment Tottenham Hotspur needed as the Italian will quickly instil discipline within the Spurs dressing room.
The Nuno Espirito Santo experiment backfired spectacularly for Tottenham, with the Portuguese coach being let go on Monday after just ten Premier League games in charge of the club.
Conte, who will replace the 47-year-old at the helm, arrives with a much more impressive track record, fresh from guiding Inter Milan to the Serie A title just a few months ago.
Ferdinand insisted there are many players in the Spurs dressing room who think they are better than they actually are, and the Italian is just the type of manager to give them the reality check they need.
The former Manchester United defender told FIVE podcast: “Since the Champions League final when they played Liverpool, this team hasn’t had any consistency and confidence, they’ve gone backwards massively – they’re worse off confidence and belief-wise then they were then.
“You look at it and if you ask is there anyone in world football who can come in and change the fortunes of this team Conte would have been very high up on my list.
“He’s a disciplinarian, he doesn’t mess about, he rules with an iron fist and he gets people working. And I think this is what this Spurs squad need.
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“There are a lot of players who think they are better than they are – and they definitely think they’re better than they are actually performing. They need something like this, they need a rocket.
“He’s got a proven track record he goes into clubs and changes things and gets things going.”
Ferdinand noted that Conte is the kind of manager who turns clubs’ fortunes around quickly, suggesting that Daniel Levy viewed the 52-year-old as a potential quick fix for Tottenham’s mess.
He added: “He (Conte) went into Chelsea and wins the league first season. He goes into Inter and wins the league. Levy wants someone to come in and give a rocket to these players.
“That performance against United was a despondent lacklustre, no authority, no personality-type performance. Sometimes needs must and beggars can’t be choosers.
“That’s the situation Spurs are in at the moment. It hasn’t worked for Nuno and Levy’s said I want to go to someone where I can get a quick fix.”
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The fact that Conte is reportedly signing just a one and a half year contract and has allegedly been promised significant funds, does suggest that the Italian believes he can turn things around and get Spurs challenging quickly.
Time will tell whether the gamble pays off but one can certainly not accuse Levy or Paratici of lacking ambition on the back of this appointment.
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