Antonio Conte reportedly “waited until the last minute” to see if Manchester United would sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before accepting the Tottenham job.
The Italian coach was appointed as the new Spurs head coach after Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties this week.
Conte was heavily linked with the managerial position at Old Trafford amid reports that United were considering sacking Solskjaer after their 5-0 defeat by Liverpool.
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The Norwegian coach was able to ease pressure on himself, however, as the Red devils secured a 3-0 win over Spurs last week – the result that condemned Nuno’s fate.
Conte would end up being named as his successor but it’s reported that he was “waiting until the very last minute” for the United job to be available, according to journalist Roberto Gotta.
“I understand that there was a wait until the last moment; Manchester United have a better squad and more decisive players,” he told Tuttomercatoweb.
“However, Manchester United have never publicly lacked confidence in Solskjaer. Perhaps even to reassure him…
“Conte in Manchester should have won immediately, while in Tottenham, he should have prepared the team for next season. “I think he did the right thing, or else he risked not doing half of it.”
Conte got off to a good start in his first game in charge of the club as Spurs claimed a 3-2 victory over Vitesse.
It was an intense clash as the Dutch side nearly mounted a comeback after the hosts raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first half.