Jamie Carragher believes that Antonio Conte will need longer than 18 months to get Tottenham challenging as Sky Sports pundit claims Italian will find it ‘difficult’ to replicate Chelsea success in such a short space of time
Jamie Carragher believes Antonio Conte may need more than 18 months to get Tottenham challenging again as the Sky Sports pundit delighted at the prospect of the Italian returning to the Premier League.
Conte, 52, is close to agreeing a £15.5million-per-year to take the hot seat in North London after the club sacked Nuno Espirito Santo. The deal will reportedly run for 18 months.
Should the Italian takeover at Spurs, it will be his first return to management in England since leaving Chelsea in 2018, having stormed to the league title with the Blues at the first time of asking in 2016-17.
Jamie Carragher believes Antonio Conte will need more than 18 months to turn Spurs around
However, Carragher has warned that the wily tactician may not make such an instant impact at Spurs, with the club in turmoil having gone from Champions League finalists to Europa Conference League contenders in the space of two years.
‘I would love Conte back in the Premier League,’ Carragher said ahead of Monday Night Football on Sky Sports.
‘I think he was a revelation first time around, he is a brilliant character, his personality, I would love to see him back in the Premier League so I hope it does get done.
The Italian is understood to be close to agreeing a £15.5m-a-year deal to become Spurs boss
Conte, 52, had an instant impact at Chelsea where he won the Premier League in his first year
‘I think a manager is going to need more than 18 months to turn Tottenham around and even though I am a huge admirer of Antonio Conte and how quickly… the success he had with Chelsea and every club he has been to… I think it would be very difficult to replicate that success in 18 months.’
Carragher says Conte may need a full three years before Spurs are among the leading contenders for top honours in England, opining that there is ‘a lot of work to be done’ in North London.
‘I think he could need another 18 months on top of that to maybe get Tottenham back, maybe challenging,’ he added.
However, Carragher has warned that such a bounce should not be expected at Tottenham
‘When I say “get Tottenham back”, maybe back to where they were under [Mauricio] Pochettino, where they felt they had a chance of winning trophies and pushing people for the title, Champions League year in, year out.
‘I think there is a lot of work to be done so, do I think Conte can turn that around in 18 months? I think it will be difficult for a man of his calibre.
‘I think this squad is capable of challenging for the CL positions and they are not a million miles away from that right now. Tottenham as a club should always aspire to be in that position.
The Sky Sports pundit also delighted at the prospect of Conte returning to the Premier League
‘I think Antonio Conte, if he took that job, I think Tottenham maybe not this season but certainly in the future you will be looking at them and thinking “oh yeah they can certainly make the Champions League” because he can make a huge difference as he has shown throughout his career.’
Conte is yet to be announced as new Spurs boss but Sportsmail understands that the Tottenham squad have been told to be prepared for the possibility of the Italian taking training on Tuesday morning.
Conte has been out of work since departing Inter Milan at the end of last season, leaving the San Siro after winning Serie A with the Italian giants for the first time since 2010.
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