Paratici and Conte have already worked together at Juventus and their relationship was a vital factor in Tottenham’s latest approach. As the managing director of football, it is Paratici’s responsibility to deal with the club’s head coach on a day-to-day basis.

Conte’s door will no doubt be open to Levy, but it is Paratici who is likely to have daily access to the head coach and attempt to meet his transfer-window demands.

There is a myth pushed by Conte’s critics that he is a chequebook manager who relies on big-money signings. He undoubtedly demands and asks for the best, but he also makes the very best of what he has.

At Chelsea, Marcos Alonso was signed under the radar and became one of the best specialist left wing-backs in the game, while Victor Moses, a player largely ignored at Chelsea, prospered in a new position at right wing-back. His handling of John Terry’s final year and David Luiz’s return to the club was also masterly. Tottenham players will be given chances and it is up to them to take them, rather than moan about favouritism or a squad hierarchy.

Whereas supporters were never convinced by the appointment of Nuno, and Mourinho split opinion, there is a sense that Conte represents a genuine coup for Tottenham at a time when it appeared hard to see who might want to take on the task.

Other than Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, Conte is the only man this decade to coach a team past the 90-point mark in the Premier League and, unlike the Spaniard and the German, he managed to win the title at his first attempt.

That achievement perhaps remains underestimated and yet Tottenham could yet provide Conte with his biggest challenge to date. But it is the reputation of the players and not the serial winner that is now on the line.