I was once wanted by Tottenham – now I’m thriving under Antonio Conte in Serie A

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To say that Tottenham and Antonio Conte’s relationship ended on bad terms, would be an understatement.

After leading Spurs to Champions League football in his first season in charge, Conte would ultimately leave north London the following season – capping off his time as Tottenham boss with a fiery rant after a humiliating collapse away to Southampton.

The months and years that have followed since the Italian’s 2023 departure have seen the ex-Chelsea manager take a break from the game – eventually returning to the dugout this summer to take charge of Napoli.

Sat top of Serie A after ten games, Napoli are on fire under the former Spurs boss, with Conte putting his faith into a number of ex-Premier League stars – one of which was reportedly targeted by Tottenham this summer.

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Tottenham summer target Scott McTominay now thriving under Antonio Conte

It was well-documented back in the summer that Tottenham were in the market for a new midfielder.

Spurs failed in their Conor Gallagher approach, meanwhile, Daniel Levy decided against signing Eberechi Eze due to wages.

Another midfielder who slipped from Tottenham’s grasp is Scott McTominay, who went on to join Conte’s Napoli.

The Lilywhites were reportedly interested in bringing the Scot to north London this summer – according to The Sun – but were beaten to his signature by the Italian side.

Conte recently stated he worked ‘miracles’ while at Tottenham and he is now seemingly doing the same with McTominay’s career.

Largely criticised during his time at Manchester United, McTominay has since transformed into one of Italian football’s brightest stars, as he helps lead Napoli to an unlikely title charge.

Tottenham may regret not signing McTominay

The Scot’s form in Italy mixed with Ange Postecoglou’s tendency to chop and change his midfield, could suggest Tottenham may rue not signing the former Man United man.

The stats above show that McTominay ranks very different from Ange Postecoglou’s current set of midfielders, with the Scottish international profiling as more of a ball carrier compared to Tottenham’s pass-heavy midfielders.

That is obviously down to the systems implemented by Conte and Postecoglou but McTominay’s glistening form mixed in with his impressive stats suggest Spurs could have potentially been better off having a different profile of midfielder within their ranks.