Fears are growing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as to whether Antonio Conte could walk away from the club if he is not well backed.
The Italian is one of Spurs’ most impressive appointments in recent years and seen as the man who could guide the club back into the hunt for silverware.
However, with his current crop of players, Conte has not hesitated in making it clear that he won’t be able to achieve those goals, stressing that he needs to be well-backed in the transfer markets.
Yet there seems to be some reluctance from Daniel Levy to press on with Conte-instructed business.
But does Levy have good reason to put the breaks on any big-money moves? Mirror Football has taken a look at Conte's transfer business at his last two clubs.
Inter Milan
Despite spending just two years at Inter, Conte didn’t hesitate to bring in a new wave of talent to the squad. When Inter lifted the Serie A trophy last season, credit must go to the manager for how well he reinvented the club.
One of his first pieces of business at the helm was signing experienced defender Diego Godin on a free transfer, a smart acquisition, before making Matteo Politano’s loan move permanent (£19million) and splashing the cash on Valentino Lazaro (£20m). The pair provided depth but hardly made an impact for the club.
Young goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao was also purchased before being sent out on loan, as was Eddie Salcedo.
Inter’s best business under Conte then ensued as they acquired the services of Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella on loan to buy deals, whilst also signing Cristiano Biraghi and Alexis Sanchez on loan.
Romelu Lukaku was the marquee signing of the window, joining from Manchester United for £66m in a move that revived his career. The Belgian has since joined Chelsea for £97.5m having scored 64 goals for Inter in 95 appearances - firing Inter to the Serie A title in the process.
In 2019/20 the January transfer window, Conte’s business was cheap but effective. He signed Ashley Young from United for a mere £1m and Victor Moses on loan, who provided cover in the wingback roles. Christian Eriksen was also purchased from Tottenham for £24m, who played a rotational but key role in the title success.
During Conte’s second summer in charge, the manager did not spend great amounts but invested wisely.
Barella’s (£29m) and Sensi’s (£22m) moves were made permanent, and Arturo Vidal and Sanchez both joined the club on a free transfer. Matteo Darmian also joined the club from Parma on loan.
Achraf Hakimi was then purchased, a star performer in the title success, for £38m from Real Madrid. The Moroccan asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the world after his purchase, scoring seven and assisting eight in 37 Serie A performances and banking the club £20m profit at the end of the season with the sale to PSG.
Former Manchester City defender Aleksandr Kolarov was his last piece of notable business at the club.
Chelsea
As soon as Conte was appointed as Chelsea manager in 2016 he went about filling his squad with hard-working, versatile talents.
The 52-year-old was well-backed in his first window at Stamford Bridge, and the club reaped the benefits. He signed Michy Batshuayi from Marseille for £35m before making three top signings.
N’Golo Kante of Leicester City (£32m), David Luiz from PSG (£31m) and wingback Marcos Alonso of Fiorentina (£20m) all joined the Blues and were influential in the club’s title success that season.
The January transfer window of that campaign was silent, but Conte then splashed the cash wastefully the following summer.
Tiemoue Bakayako (£36m) Olivier Giroud from Arsenal (£15m), Emerson (£15m), creative midfielder Ross Barkley (£15m), Premier League winner Danny Drinkwater (£34m) and Italian wingback Davide Zappacosta (£22m, Torino) were all signed.
The best purchase of the crop that year was undoubtedly Antonio Rudiger, who joined from Roma for £31m and has since become a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge and one of the best defenders in the league. However, with his contract expiring, who knows how much longer that will be the case.
Alvaro Morata was also purchased for an eyewatering £60m from Real Madrid, and although he did provide good linkup play and hold up play, his 24 goals in 72 games had him labelled as a ‘flop’ at the club before Conte was sacked.
