Conte Staying Is Crucial To Spurs Success

When fiery Italian Antonio Conte joined Spurs in November, questions were asked about his suitability long term and whether he would get the backing from chairman Daniel Levy to turn the North London outfit into top four contenders once again. And, on the back of a resounding 3-0 victory against rivals Arsenal, it’s now a case of keeping Conte at all costs.

At the time of writing, both Arsenal and Spurs, who are separated by a solitary point in fourth and fifth respectively, are the only teams left vying for fourth. And, because Spurs have what many would describe as an easier couple of remaining fixtures in Burnley and Norwich, they’re fancied to overtake fellow North Londoners Arsenal at the death to secure Champions League football for this first time since 2019/20.

It presents a reason why Levy et al. must do all they can to convince Conte to remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the time being. Talks are planned for the summer, with a decision set to be made by both parties on which direction they and the club want to go in. Conte, 52, has experience of managing Juventus, Chelsea and Inter in Europe’s top club competition, and this could be invaluable for Spurs should they qualify.

Conte was recruited as Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement by Spurs’ Managing Director of Football Fabio Paratici, with the pair having worked together previously. Their working relationship has proved successful so far in North London, with the arrivals of Rodrigo Bentacur and Dejan Kulusevski showing their qualities on the pitch already, especially Kulusevski, who has three goals and eight assists in sixteen Premier League outings. The connection between Conte and Paratici is strong, built on trust, and it’s working in Spurs’ best interests.

In the eyes of some, Conte is one of the best managers around, having proven himself at multiple clubs and in a couple of the world’s top leagues. He may not be in the same bracket as the likes of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, but he’s not too far short. If you’re a club with the ambition of challenging for honours on multiple fronts, you’ve got to have a manager or head coach to go with it, and Conte fits the billing with a Premier League points per match average thus season of 1.92.

It's also worth noting that Harry Kane’s future was up in the air last summer. He reported late back for training after representing England at the Euros, and at one stage, it looked like he would be heading to Manchester City by hook or by crook. After the move north failed to materialise, the Spurs talisman seemed out of sorts. But he's looking more like his usual self under Conte, with fifteen goals and eight assists from thirty-five top-flight outings. If Conte stays, the twenty-eight-year-old will undoubtedly be one of those pleased with the news.