EURO FOOTBALL WRAP: Conte in, Milan roll on, Aaron Ramsdale impresses and more

Conte to elevate North London giants

Well, I don’t think anyone saw this coming. Mikel Arteta and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been dodging the sack like Neo in The Matrix for over two years apiece. But a beleaguered Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties following two and a half poor months.

And they say Spurs is not an ambitious club. Antonio Conte- long thought to be the logical successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer- looks set to become the man in charge at Spurs. It must be quite galling for certain segments of the United faithful. Conte just exudes the type of effortless charisma that the United job demands. They even played with his favoured 5-3-2 formation during last week’s victory against Spurs. But I don’t think the Glazers are particularly keen on Conte’s mercenary nature.

But how are Spurs going to manage with his wham-bam approach to management? Conte is all about short-term gains. I just don’t necessarily see the fit between Spurs and Conte. Spurs need a long-term rebuild under someone such as Graeme Potter. Nuno was never going to work. He was a Diet Pepsi version of Mourinho. His style- or lack thereof- was never going to play with the Spurs fans.

However, at least Conte has the type of profile that may bring Harry Kane out of his current footballing coma. But I feel that Dele Alli’s days at Spurs may be numbered (Newcastle could be the logical destination for the luxury midfielder). I think the Italian could have afforded to be patient for a few weeks. United have a brutal set of upcoming fixtures that could render Solskjaer’s reign untenable.

As far as projects go- the United one is full of potential. I really struggle to see the way forward at Spurs. Is Levy prepared to splash the cash in January? Levy and Conte could be a marriage made in footballing hell. And I don’t think they are going to be getting 150 million for Kane at this moment in time. This could damage the Conte aura.

And just as a quick sidenote: how long will Ole persist with this new system? It certainly does make them a far more compact unit. But it virtually nullifies the use of wingers in a side whose DNA is defined by width. Where does this leave Jadon Sancho? And how does Pogba- who is currently negotiating a potentially ridiculous new contract- fit into this system? I just don’t see this as the long-term fix for Ole at United. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they stick with it through both the Atalanta and City matches. They might as well have got Antonio Conte.