Jermain Defoe has admitted that he would have loved to play under Antonio Conte, given the winning mentality and the passion the Italian exudes.
Tottenham confirmed last week that Defoe has returned to the club in a dual-purpose role as a member of the academy coaching staff and also a club ambassador.
The 39-year-old, who scored 143 goals in 361 appearances for the club over two spells (Transfermarkt), will work alongside the current academy coaching set up to provide help to the Under-17 to Under-21 age categories.
The former England striker has now spoken about his meeting with Conte, revealing that the Tottenham boss explained the big differences between being a player and a coach to him.
Watch what Defoe said about his meeting with Conte on Sky Sports’ Football Daily:
🗣 “What a guy. As a player I would have loved to had played under him, he’s a winner.”
Jermain Defoe on Tottenham boss Antonio Conte. 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/orWzTQprVy
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 16, 2022
Spurs Web Opinion
It was nice of Conte to take time out of his busy schedule to welcome Defoe to the club and impart some of his wisdom on the striker, who is just getting started on his coaching journey.
There is no doubt that the academy players at Spurs are going to benefit immensely from listening to Defoe’s insights and his experience at the top level.
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