Report: Tottenham actually tried to appoint international boss before Conte, he ‘bluntly’ rejected them

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According to a report from Il Mattino, Tottenham Hotspur tried to appoint Italy boss Roberto Mancini before they brought in Antonio Conte last November.

Spurs had a tough job at hand before the start of this season. Daniel Levy sacked Jose Mourinho in February last year and although Ryan Mason was handed the reins until the end of the campaign, it was clear that he wasn’t in contention for a permanent job.

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Tottenham were linked with a whole host of managers last summer. Before appointing Nuno Santo, they held talks with Conte as well, but the Italian rejected them then.

He then accepted Spurs’ offer in November, but that was only after a fellow Italian rejected the job at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini ‘bluntly’ rejected Tottenham

The ex-Manchester City boss has constantly been in the news over the last few days. His Italy side failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row and that has raised doubts about his future as the country’s boss.

However, the report claims that Mancini is fully focused on the Italy job and he’s not prepared to walk away. This has always been his mindset, even in the past, which is why he refused Tottenham’s offer to become their manager last November.

It has been claimed, as translated by SportWitness, that Mancini ‘didn’t falter’ when he received the phone call from Spurs. He ‘bluntly said no’ to the North Londoners, ‘without doubt or uncertainty,’ thus making it clear that his future is with Italy.

Spurs decided to go with Conte instead in November as Nuno Santo’s successor.

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Despite what happened to Italy last week, Mancini is a winner and he would’ve been a fantastic appointment by Spurs.

The Italian has won 14 trophies in his career as a manager, including a Premier League, three Serie A titles and most recently, the European Championship.

He could’ve been the winner that Tottenham needed but they have arguably got a much better manager in Conte, who although hasn’t won as many trophies as Mancini, is still regarded as a superior tactician.

Conte has done well with what he has got at Spurs so far and it will be interesting to see if he can lead them to a finish in the top four at the end of this season.

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