Chelsea star N’Golo Kante ‘beautiful’ Antonio Conte admission as Spurs eye move
N’Golo Kante’s comments about Tottenham manager Antonio Conte in the past suggest that a move from Chelsea to north London could be on the cards next summer.
Spurs are one of several clubs thought to be monitoring developments involving the Frenchman, whose time at Stamford Bridge may be coming to an end.
Tottenham will undoubtedly try to exploit any advantage they can when it comes to Kante, who has fans all over Europe thanks to his relentless energy and gleaming trophy cabinet.
Conte may be an advantage in and of himself, given how well he and the midfielder got along at Chelsea.
Following a high-profile move from Leicester in 2016, Kante won the Premier League in Conte’s first season as Blues manager.
Furthermore, the 31-year-old admitted last year that the Italian’s guidance ushered in a ‘beautiful’ period in his career.
“With Antonio Conte in the period we won more than 10 games in a row [was when I played my best football at Chelsea],” Kante told the club’s official website.
“At that time when we were going on the pitch we were very confident, the team were playing very well, we managed to dominate our opponents and to win. I felt very good on the pitch. That was a beautiful time.”;
Chelsea eventually fired Conte in 2018, but Kante remained on the team.
With one year left on his contract, he is set to become a free agent next summer, with Spurs and Barcelona reportedly positioning themselves to compete for his signature.
The prospect of working under Conte, who used Kante effectively at Stamford Bridge, may be enough to sway the World Cup winner away from the Nou Camp and towards the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Italian has transformed Tottenham into a Premier League powerhouse, with his team currently third in the table after 13 games.
Conte also oversaw Tottenham’s spirited Champions League victory over Marseille on Tuesday night, which secured the club’s place in the knockout stages.
The manager was barred from the sidelines after receiving a red card against Sporting Lisbon, and his temporary replacement, Cristian Stellini, called him “indispensible.”
“He’s very passionate and if he cannot communicate with us he struggles a lot,” he said. “The presence of a coach like Conte, both before the game and the week leading up to it and during the match, is just indispensable – especially a tough match like this where it’s intense until the final whistle.
“It’s a totally different world because normally the days before the game, Antonio will do all his preparation himself, alone. But [against Marseille] we had to do this all together so it changed everything.”
Chelsea star N’Golo Kante ‘beautiful’ Antonio Conte admission as Spurs eye move
