Son Heung-min said, "How did you work under such a coach? I felt like trash, so I was ignored."

Mar 25, 2025

Antonio Conte completely ignored certain players.

The British Evening Standard highlighted Tottenham fullback Jed Spence's interview with Conte on a YouTube channel run by Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand on the 24th (Korea time).

Spence is a full-back who has been noted for his immense talent since childhood. Making his debut for Middlesbrough, Spence played well on loan to Nottingham Forest. After leading the promotion to the English Premier League (EPL), he was hired by Tottenham.

However, Conte openly and indirectly expressed dissatisfaction with Spence's recruitment. After recruiting Spence, Conte said "Spence is a player invested by the club. The club wanted to do that. I said 'OK, this player is young, but he showed us that he can be an important player. The club has decided to recruit him"He made it clear that he was not the player he wanted to recruit.

Conte treated Spence as a rare player on the field. In the end, Spence went on loan after half a season. Spence, who was on loan, was expected to be released by Tottenham, but he clearly caught the opportunity during this season and was reborn as Tottenham's future. There are even compliments from fans that they should be selected for the England national team.

Spence recalled Conte's interview at the time and "I wasn't in a good mood. Especially when I came to Tottenham in a good mood, I was full of confidence, I was excited, I just got promoted. But I felt like I hit a wall. The confidence is completely shattered. I was a young player, and it didn't sound good," he answered honestly.

Spence went on to say "It was rubbish at the time. I wasn't in a good mood. When I go to the club, I say, 'What am I doing here?I thought ' Whatever I did, Conte didn't seem happy about anything. Even if I play it properly 'Am I doing it right?I thought ' Conte was not the type to praise. Maybe I talked to him once"He claimed that he was greatly ignored by Conte.

Even before coming to Tottenham, Conte was famous for preferring to use proven veterans rather than promising future players. That tendency continued in Tottenham as well. Eventually, it caused dissatisfaction from some players, and Conte did not last long.

Reporter Kim Dae-sik rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.