Antonio Conte is a serial winner. Across stops at Bari, Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan, he won a combined nine trophies, five of which were top flight league titles. Tottenham have needed a coach like him to end their 14 year long trophy drought, even recent big names such as Pochettino and Mourinho couldn’t get them over the hump, although for vastly different reasons. Under Conte so far this year, it has been a mixed bag with three defeats to Chelsea, and poor losses versus Burnley and Wolves, memorable 3-2 victories against Leicester and Manchester City, and 4-0 and 5-0 drubbings of Leeds and Everton. Overall, there is definitely progress, but will Conte be there long enough to complete the project?

He is known to be a very combative manager, who needs financial backing from the club, or things can go south quickly. Take a look at how quickly he exited from Chelsea and Inter after winning league titles, he works while walking a fine line with his bosses. Already this year, Conte has given brutal answers in press conferences after tough defeats and it’s still unclear if he believes his winning mentality will really manifest into the club. If given the time and backing, which is a major if considering Daniel Levy’s traditional reluctance to consistently dive deep into the market, he can push the club to new heights.

The January arrivals of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur surely brought a smile to Conte, and Kulusevki’s impact has been particularly notable, but Levy already missed on one key target. Luis Diaz was a very close addition to the squad, but Liverpool swept in at the final hour, and he has been spectacular for them in just over a month of action. Misses like these, combined with poor performances, are the types of triggers for Conte’s rough press conferences. He is so competitive, and always wired to win, that any of his players, staff, or bosses not being on an equal level will cause rifts that are hard to fix. The next time a player of Luis Diaz is close to signing for Spurs, Levy will have to make sure he completes the deal.

A 2008 League Cup was the last trophy for Tottenham, and the league title hasn’t been theirs since 1961. They currently sit seventh, 24 points behind leaders Manchester City. They are miles off of the quality of City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, and probably won’t even get Champions League football for next year. Conte though, is a genius and the early signs are promising. If he is given the right players, he has proven that he can win at the top level. He is exactly the manager Tottenham needs to end their trophy drought, but time is ticking for Daniel levy. Risks have to be taken, and it will be costly but in the end, Conte always delivers.