I'm not completely understanding the handwringing around losing out on Conte. Yes, he likely would have been the best, reasonable fit in the short term. He's a top manager with EPL success. But if you really want a long term solution (i.e. a manager who can in theory last in the job more than 3 years), he's not a great option. He's not known for the expansive "attack, attack, attack" football that United prides itself in. He's quite the opposite in a lot of regards. He's never stayed anywhere for longer than a few seasons. He almost certainly would've stuck around a few seasons, brought us up the table to be in the conversation for trophies and then left...perhaps winning something and perhaps not. And then it's 2024 and we're right back here.
Which...is fine maybe in modern football for most clubs. And maybe it should be fine for United too. But if United really do value staying true to the "United Way" and value looking for a manager who can be something other than a 2-3 year fit (whether that should be their philosophy or not is another matter), then Conte isn't exactly that profile. Or to put it another way, one of the best things about Ole's tenure was bringing that intangible sense of "Unitedness" back to the club in some measure. Conte doesn't exactly build upon and improve upon that even if his results would almost certainly be better.
