Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks says manager Antonio Conte has turned his Spurs career around
According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Winks said that head coach Antonio Conte was responsible for giving him another chance at the club after being frozen out by the Italian’s predecessors in the past.
A Tottenham academy product, Winks broke into the first team after manager Mauricio Pochettino promoted him to the senior side after being impressed by the Englishman. However, the last few years at Spurs have not been kind to Winks, with the player having to settle for limited appearances and game-time.
Winks has credited Conte for reviving his career at his boyhood club, saying that the Italian gave him a chance to impress by handing out equal opportunities to his players.
“My chances at Tottenham were looking slim. I wasn’t getting opportunities and it looked like I would need to leave the club. I don’t know. But as I said, the new manager’s come in and given everyone an equal opportunity, which is all I wanted under the last two managers.”
Winks has featured in every single one of Tottenham’s games in 2022, with the new year proving to be quite a productive period for the midfielder after hardly getting a sniff last year. Under previous boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Winks was only handed one start in the Premier League this season.
Career revival
Conte’s arrival midseason turned out to be just what the midfielder needed to turn his season around, as the England international started a sixth consecutive match last night. However, it ended in defeat as Spurs twice squandered leads to lose 3-2 to Southampton in the league.
Despite the loss, Winks thanked Conte for boosting his confidence and finding form once again, saying that his Tottenham career was ‘buried and dead’ before the Italian was put in charge.
“My career at Tottenham was probably dead and buried but he’s come in and given me an opportunity to show myself and prove myself. And for that, every time I get an opportunity I really want to impress the manager and show myself and repay that faith he’s shown in me and put it back to me.”
Winks certainly has Conte to thank for putting his faith in the midfielder. The 26-year-old has not had it easy since Pochettino’s departure, as his successor Jose Mourinho only handed him 15 league appearances in the 2020/21 season.
His limited game time at the club also saw his chances in the England national team fizzle out, as he was left out of the Euro 2020 squad. Winks was a constant fixture in the national team setup till the time Pochettino was in charge at Spurs.
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The 26-year-old Englishman admitted that he had considered leaving the club to gain more minutes and kick on in his career, but Conte’s arrival seems to have changed all that. The midfielder has shown flashes of the player that he was in his early years at the club in recent weeks.
With the second half of the season proving to be a very important period for Spurs’ top four hopes, Winks will hope that he continues his same form and keeps his place in Conte’s team to help his club secure Champions League football next campaign.
