Tottenham Hotspur end their interest in Antonio Conte
According to The Guardian, Tottenham Hotspur have ended their interest in former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. The Lilywhites are without a full-time manager since Jose Mourinho was dismissed in April.
Conte appeared to be closing in on the Spurs hotseat and was just a day ago close to penning the deal. Talks have since broken down and Tottenham will now need to look elsewhere for their man. The breakdown occurred after Spurs grew concerned over Conte’s demands and his commitment to blooding young players.
As things stand, it remains unsure if Spurs will return to the negotiating table if Conte were to relax his demands. The prospect is however unlikely at this point in time.
Perhaps the new development does not come as a surprise given Conte’s track record. The Italian parted ways just weeks after leading Inter to the Scudetto owing to the Italians’ lack of support in the upcoming summer transfer market. Daniel Levy is notorious for not loosening his purse strings and it would have been more of the same for Conte in North London.
Apart from wages and transfer ambitions, there also appears to be other reasons behind the fallout. According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Spurs were also against Conte’s demand to bring more than four backroom staff with him to the club.
Antonio Conte wanted to bring more than 4 staff members to Tottenham, Spurs reluctant on this point. Salary proposal difference around €3m. Investments and project to win ‘as soon as possible’, another issue. That’s why talks with Conte have stalled – no agreement. ❌🇮🇹 #THFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 4, 2021
Despite the breakdown with Conte, Spurs have had better success in talks for former Juventus director Fabio Paratici. He will join Tottenham as the new director of football. While one half of the two-tiered structure set to come on board, the focus should now shift to the other.
With Harry Kane also looking to leave, this could prove to be a long and hard summer for Tottenham. How Levy now plans to salvage it remains to be seen.
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We are now just days away from the summer transfer window and have no manager at the helm. Unless Levy can get his bearings together, this could be a disastrous summer for the club. As a club, we have gone backwards since the Champions League final and there is a need to recognize that. The club is better off hunting for managers who can work within their limits rather than aim for the top without the facilities to back those ambitions.
Whether Tottenham get their act together and recognize the slippery slope they are standing on remains to be seen.
