Tottenham ‘are the laughing stock of football’, insists Jamie Redknapp in the wake of Nuno Espirito Santo’s sacking… as he claims ‘a hell of a lot of mistakes’ are being made in the boardroom
Tottenham have become ‘the laughing stock of football’ on the field because of the mistakes being made in the boardroom, according to the club’s former midfielder Jamie Redknapp.
Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by the club on Monday morning just four months into the role, with the club having suffered five Premier League defeats already this season.
The club are now closing in on former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte, with growing optimism they will strike a deal given talks between both parties are moving quickly.
Tottenham are ‘the laughing stock of football’ on the field, according to Jamie Redknapp
Spurs sacked Nuno Espirito Santo (left) on Monday and are closing in on Antonio Conte (right)
The former Italy boss rejected the chance to move to the north London club in the summer, but Spurs have now come calling again as they sit five points outside the top four.
But speaking to Sky Sports, Redknapp insists Conte must be allowed to dictate certain matters by chairman Daniel Levy, because at this moment the club are the ‘laughing stock’ of the game.
‘I don’t understand why after four months you can get him [Conte] but you couldn’t get him four months ago,’ Redknapp said.
‘There must have been a problem with the transfer budget and maybe he didn’t agree with what Daniel Levy wanted to do with the club.
Redknapp (above) believes a lot of mistakes have been made in the boardroom at the club
He added chairman Daniel Levy (right) must not interfere with Conte’s ways if he is appointed
‘When you have a manager like Antonio Conte, you have to give him the licence to get the players in that he wants and play the system that he wants.
‘You can’t interfere, he does things his way. I know he has worked with the director of football at Tottenham [Fabio Paratici] before at Juventus, and that is important because they have to work and marry up together and pull in the right direction. Otherwise it can be a disaster.
‘Right now, on the field, Tottenham are the laughing stock of football. Off the field they are the envy of everyone because of the stadium and the training ground.
‘But on the field they are making a hell of a lot of mistakes in that boardroom.’
Conte’s relationship with director of football Fabio Paratici could prove to be crucial
Brighton boss Graham Potter and ex-Roma coach Paulo Fonseca have also been linked with the role of replacing Nuno, but Conte would be the most eye-catching appointment.
Conte won the Premier League in 2017 – his first season at Chelsea, before following that up with FA Cup glory the following year. He also won Serie A last season with Inter Milan.
The 52-year-old was also linked with the Manchester United job last week, though the pressure has lifted slightly on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since their win against Spurs at the weekend.
Whoever is appointed would be the fourth permanent Spurs manager since the start of the 2019-20 season, with Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno having gone before, while Ryan Mason took temporary charge at the end of last season.
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