Antonio Conte to Tottenham

Italian firebrand tasked with bringing trophies to Spurs

In what is rightly being labelled as a huge coup for Tottenham Hotspur, Antonio Conte has shirked the inevitable vacancy that will arise at Manchester United this season to take on the role as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur. The Italian was one of the hot favorites to replace Jose Mourinho in the summer, but it never materialized. It was speculated that Conte was concerned over a lack of ambition shown by the club's hierarchy. All those fears seem to be allayed for the time being with the Italian signing a contract that sees him through until the summer of 2023.

Various outlets are reporting that Fabio Paratici, the London club Managing Director, was instrumental in securing the signature of his compatriot. The pair enjoyed a successful stint together at Juventus at the beginning of the last decade. Jolting the Old Lady of Italian football out of the slump caused by the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal and taking them to three successive Scudetto's. The two have had a tight bond since then and were keen on working together again in London.

It should signal a significant switch in style from ex-manager Nuno Espirito Santos' ill-fated 17 match spell. Conte has always favored a three-man central defense and more often than not likes to employ two strikers in the attack. Everyone associated with Spurs from the fans to the highest level of the board will also be hoping he can get Harry Kane back to the scintillating form of last season.

Conte has this to say to the clubs' official website when his appointment was officially announced:

"I am extremely happy to return to coaching and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist again. Tottenham Hotspur has state-of-the-art facilities and one of the best stadiums in the world. I can't wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality, and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach. Last summer our union did not happen because the end of my relationship with Inter was still too recent and emotionally too involved with the end of the season, so I felt that it wasn’t yet the right time to return to coaching. But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of Daniel Levy in wanting to entrust me with this task had already hit the mark. Now that the opportunity has returned, I have chosen to take it with great conviction.”

Spurs fans are delighted with this appointment, and rightfully so. Antonio Conte is a serial winner. Mind you so was Jose Mourinho before he went to Tottenham. Will Conte fall victim to the dreaded 'Spursy' curse? Or will he finally bring the good times back to a side that has been so starved of success for what seems like an eternity?

Only time will tell.

One thing that is for sure is that the Premier League now has, without question, the finest selection of coaches across the league. And Spurs might have just appointed one of the best of them.

Want more sport? Check out these:

NFL Week 8 Recap

World Series Game 5

Show your love for thepyrrhic.com with this sweet branded t-shirt