Sky Sports have revealed that while planning for life after Antonio Conte, Tottenham have been ‘very sensitive’ to the hard few months that the Italian has had on a personal note.
Conte has lost three close friends over recent months – with Tottenham’s fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone, former Bologna manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, and Juventus legend Gianluca Vialli passing away.
In addition, the Spurs head coach also had his gallbladder removed after being diagnosed with cholecystitis.
The 53-year-old recovered back in Italy for several weeks, with Cristian Stellini overseeing preparation for almost all the matches across February.
Tottenham’s second leg against AC Milan on Wednesday was Conte’s first game back in the dugout and it was not a happy homecoming for the Spurs boss, with his future coming under major scrutiny after the club’s elimination from the Champions League.
Sky Sports have now revealed that even during their succession planning, the Lilywhites hierarchy has been sensitive to the difficult time that Conte has endured.
The report states that the Italian’s work ethic and his commitment have never been in question and he is well-liked at Hotspur Way.
However, there is said to be a ‘wide realisation’ at the club that Conte’s energy and effectiveness has depreciated.
Spurs Web Opinion
Unlike how things soured towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign, it is clear that most Spurs players and even the fans like Conte as a person, even though they have reservations about his style of play.
Unlike Mourinho, Conte has never thrown the players under the bus publicly.
In fact, he has done the opposite by talking up the players’ commitment.
The Italian has clearly had an extremely difficult few months and that cannot be discounted when looking at the reasons why he has not managed to turn the project around.
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