- 6 hours ago
Tottenham in talks with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte
James Shearman
- 2 Jun 2021 18:27 BST
- 5 min read
Tottenham are in talks with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte over their vacant managerial position following the departure of Jose Mourinho in April.
Ryan Mason had taken on an interim role for the final games of the season but chairman Daniel Levy wants an experienced manager to take the club back into the Champions League places.
READ MORE: Conte leaves Inter days after Serie A title win
There are said to be difficulties with regards to Conte’s high wage demands, according to Sky Italia, but Spurs are very interested in bringing the serial winner to North London.
Conte to Spurs?
Conte left Inter last month after guiding the them to a first Serie A title in 11 years (since Mourinho was in charge), choosing to leave because of the board’s plans to reduce the wage bill by 15 to 20 per cent.
The Italian outfit are also looking at selling up to £70million of talent in order to balance the books.
Whereas Conte, a fierce competitor, had ambitions of strengthening the title-winning squad further in hopes of challenging for the Champions League.
Now out of a job, the best opportunity available to the Italian could be Spurs, who desperately need to dispense of the ‘bottlejob’ culture they currently embody, having not won a trophy since the Carling Cup in 2008.
The Lilywhites are at a crossroads, ultimately aligned with the career of Harry Kane, who’s undoubtedly had a special run and recently won another Golden Boot, but needs to earn silverware at this point in his career.
One would think that the arrival of Conte might tempt Kane into staying another year at the club he loves, but seemingly can’t drag to success. This would give the 51-year-old 12 months to earn a top-four spot in the league and win a trophy, or face losing his main man and having to undergo a tricky rebuild – or, potentially, leaving another post.
Paratici to Spurs?
Juventus’ former chief football officer, Fabio Paratici, could follow Conte to Spurs and the pair have a history of working well in the past.
Paratici worked with Conte between 2011 and 2014, winning three Serie A titles, before the club went on to win another six straight under his guidance.
The 48-year-old left the Turin club just last month and is said to be open to the move.
