Tottenham manager Antonio Conte could be reportedly set to leave the Premier League club at the end of the season when his contract expires, after falling out of favour with the higher powers at the club.
Antonio Conte could be leaving his position as Tottenham boss at the end of the season, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano (via CaughtOffside), who claims there have been no talks between the two parties over a new deal to extend the Italian head coach’s stay in north London beyond this season.
Romano wrote in his daily transfer briefing on Caught Offside: “Antonio Conte has not made any decision yet. There’s not even a negotiation with Tottenham as things stand.
“Conte will decide close to the end of the season, he has not communicated anything to Tottenham. It will take time and depend on the project.
“Conte leaving is a possibility for sure, but I can’t say it’s 100% decided now.”
After a difficult run of three defeats in their last four top-flight games, the Italian oversaw a narrow, hard-fought victory over Fulham on Monday night, where Harry Kane scored the only goal of the game late before the half-time break.
The result leaves them still sitting fifth in the Premier League table, but they have crucially closed the gap on top-four spots to just three points, albeit both Newcastle United and Manchester United have a game in hand over the north Londoners.
That being said, Spurs have had a difficult week, with the Premier League club losing to local rivals Arsenal in last weekend’s north London derby.
There has been plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Spurs’ head coach, and it has been claimed that he is almost certain to leave at the end of the season, having less than six months left to run on his current contract with the North London outfit.
Conte has called for realistic expectations for his Tottenham squad this season, while also emphasizing that the team is far from the finished product. The former Chelsea boss has not shied away from demanding more help in the transfer market, which has certainly pleased the upper hierarchy.
At the same time, there’s a feeling amongst the Lilywhites fanbase that he has failed to get the best out of elite attacking players like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min by deploying an ultra-pragmatic setup, especially in the first half of games.
The turmoil doesn’t stop there, with the investigation into Juventus, which resulted in a 15-point deduction for the Bianconeri in Serie A, also affecting Spurs’ sporting director Fabio Paratici.
Paratici has been banned for 30 months, or two and a half years and the Italian authorities want that ban to be extended abroad as well. The Italian played a pivotal role in bringing Conte to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first place, and it looks like they could be leaving around the same time next summer.
Conte will likely to receive other major offers, especially from Italy. If Conte does depart at the end of the season, the speculation of a return for Mauricio Pochettino to return to the club will only get louder. Maurizio Sarri and Thomas Tuchel have also been mentioned as potential alternatives for Spurs job in recent days. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the near future.
