Tottenham Hotspur’s sacked manager Antonio Conte was not the problem, according to Dejan Kulusevski’s friend.
Louka, who played with the Swedish midfielder at Atalanta, said that Kulusevski gave him inside news telling him a week before Conte was fired that the players’ attitude needed changing, not the manager.
Speaking to Juve News, he said:
“We spoke a week before Conte left and he revealed to me that the problem wasn’t the manager. The team must change its attitude, a change is needed.”
Conte was sacked in March after his famous outburst that came after the draw against Southampton.
The Italian harshly slammed the players accusing them of being selfish and questioned their commitment to the club. He also took jibes at the club hierarchy questioning their ambitions by suggesting that they have been owners for so long and still have not won anything.
This rant saw him get fired a week later and he was replaced by his assistant manager Cristian Stellini who was named the interim manager. but the team’s performance did not improve, and he was also sacked after losing all four games he managed, including a 6-1 thrashing to Newcastle.
Ryan Mason has since then been named the interim manager for the remaining of the season and he has drastically improved the team’s performance.
Tottenham has played some of their best attacking football under him, and they also kept their first clean-sheet in some time against Crystal Palace, securing their first win in five games.
Kulusevski’s future at Tottenham is uncertain following Conte’s sacking, with reports suggesting that the club might not sign him on a permanent deal due to failing to finish top 4.
Louka also said that it’s up to Tottenham to decide on Kulusevski’s future, and that he would be happy with Allegri at Juventus.
He said:
“€35m is a lot, it’s up to Tottenham to decide. He’s young and helped the team a lot, doing what he’s done at 23 isn’t for everyone.
“If he returns to Juventus instead, it will be a whole other story. He didn’t tell me anything, it’s too early to think about it. It will take time to figure out what to do.
“If important players like Kane were to leave Tottenham, the situation would change. Same thing at Juventus: if Di Maria doesn’t renew, there would be more room for Dejan.
“He’d be happy with Allegri. Compared to his first experience at Juve, he’s now much more sure of himself. He’s grown a lot at Tottenham.”
The Swede was one of Conte’s first signings at Spurs who arrived in January on loan from Juventus last year. He made an immediate impact for Tottenham, scoring 5 and assisting 8 in only 18 league games, helping the club beat Arsenal to a top 4 finish, securing the final Champions League spot.
However, this season he has been hampered by injuries and has struggled to replicate his form from last season. He only has 2 goals and 6 assists in 27 league games for the club this campaign.
Whether they sign him on a permanent deal or not will depend on whoever the next manager is but it is very much possible that he does not return to Spurs.
