Cristian Stellini praises manager who could’ve replaced Conte at Spurs last year

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Tottenham Hotspur’s assistant manager Cristian Stellini has praised Chelsea boss Graham Potter, who was reportedly the favourite to replace Antonio Conte had he left Spurs last year.

The North Londoners take on struggling Chelsea at home tomorrow in what is a huge game for both sides. The Blues are desperate for a win, but Spurs, for once, will go into the game as favourites.

Potter is under serious pressure at Stamford Bridge at the moment, and Stellini has offered him some support.

Tottenham coach Cristian Stellini says he ‘studied’ Graham Potter

A few eyebrows were raised when Brighton and Hove Albion appointed Potter back in 2019.

The 47-year-old had never managed in the Premier League before, and it really was a huge gamble when they decided to sack Chris Hughton and bring him in.

However, Potter took Brighton to another level. He quickly made a name for himself as one of the most exciting managers in the country, and that convinced Chelsea to appoint him in place of Thomas Tuchel.

Stellini was asked about Potter in his press conference yesterday, and he admitted that he used to study the Englishman’s style of play when he was at Brighton.

The Italian said, as per Football London: “Yes [he’s a good coach].

“I studied Potter since I arrived here because he was a manager in Brighton last season, I follow Brighton a lot, because it surprised me the way they play, the way they change system many times and the way they were good to challenge with Potter.”

“We played many games against them and every game was different, so (to) understand the decision he took last season was really interesting for me and for sure he is a great manager.”

Potter was the favourite to replace Conte at Spurs

There was a lot of speculation about Antonio Conte’s future this time last year.

The Italian threw a few tantrums after Spurs’ defeats and there were rumours that claimed he could leave the club and return to Italy at the end of last season.

When his future was still up in the air in May, The Telegraph reported that Potter, who was then at Brighton, was the ‘favourite’ to replace Conte at Tottenham if he decided to leave the club.

Conte ended up staying and Potter got himself the Chelsea job just a few months later.