The director of football’s relationship with Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been described as competitive. This comes after Fabrizio Romano tweeted quotes from the Spurs manager regarding the pair and players that Fabio Paratici stole from under his nose.
Spurs Director of Football’s Relationship With Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte: “Paratici signed Kulusevski at Juventus only to damage myself, as I wanted him at Inter. It’s always about the strategy”. ⚪️ #THFC
“He tried also with Lukaku, Paratici. To buy Lukaku for Juve because he knew very well that I like him and wanted him in my team”. pic.twitter.com/LhpYoov5fq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 23, 2022
Working For and Against Each Other
Conte is often referred to as being a ruthless manager and Paratici a ruthless transfer negotiator. While together at Juventus, they brought success back to Turin after years of fighting back following the match-fixing scandals that had seen them relegated and stripped of titles. They were a fallen giant of epic proportions and it needed two passionate figures to change fortunes. In May 2011, Conte joined Paratici in Turin at a time when the club had managed just two successive seventh-placed finishes in Serie A – nowhere near to matching the expectancies of such a huge club.
With general manager Beppe Moratta added into the mix, Juventus secured their first league title for nine years and went on to win another two in the following seasons.
Romelu Lukaku
After their Turin relationship ended, Paratici and Conte would reconnect again on opposite sides of the fence. Paratici was still at Juventus but Conte had moved on to Inter Milan and the pair would do battle when it came to the signature of Lukaku from Manchester United in 2019.
Paratici knew that, although the striker had been struggling for form in Manchester, Conte could get the best out of him and that was his cue to try and ensure the player headed to Turin instead. Conte won the battle but remains in no doubt of the power and ability of Paratici who he now finds back on his side once more.
Dejan Kulusevski
Conte and Paratici were also both admirers of the Swedish player that they now find at Spurs in Kulusevski. Whilst in charge at Inter, Conte wanted the winger from Juventus and as reported in The Athletic said of this;
“I opened the idea with Paratici. But he cut me out of the deal, not only to reinforce Juventus, but to also damage myself. In the transfer market, there is a strategy.
“He tried also with Lukaku, Paratici — to buy Lukaku for Juventus because he knew very well that I like him and wanted him in my team. It was the same for Kulusevski. But at the time, maybe Juventus were stronger than us in the transfer market.”
Back Together – Tottenham’s Gain
Now that the two men are back together and once more singing from the same song sheet it can only be of benefit to Tottenham in the future. Paratici wanted Conte in the summer of 2021 but missed out on a reunion until Nuno Espírito Santo was sacked, before Conte decided it was the right time to take on the job of rebuilding and bringing success to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Conte knows the type of players he wants and Paratici knows the type of players that Conte will get the best from. That could be a marriage made in heaven and the summer of 2022 will be one where all eyes will be engaged on Spurs and what these two passionate figures will bring to North London. It certainly promises to be an exhilarating ride.
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