Journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has a new report for The Athletic which suggests Tottenham Hotspur will resume contract negotiations with manager Antonio Conte today.
Conte has been with the club for just over a year now, and has achieved relative success in that time. After taking over in November 2021 when Spurs were languishing around mid-table, Conte helped to guide the Lilywhites to a top-four finish and secure Champions League football for this season.
The Italian’s current contract expires at the end of this season, and it has been the topic of debate for months now as to whether Conte will remain in North London when that deal runs out.
While speculation has linked Conte with a return to Juventus (28/10/22 Gazzetta via Sport Witness), it has been widely expected that Spurs would open talks with their head coach during the World Cup break and the belief is the club are confident he will commit (The Athletic).
Now, according to Pitt-Brooke’s latest, those talks will begin again today after being shelved last week due to Fabio Paratici’s busy schedule. It appears Conte is seeking some assurances as to the club’s ambitions, which could be key to a successful negotiation.
Pitt-Brooke’s report claims discussions will be held to thrash out a new “long-term contract” for Conte. The talks were originally “expected to resume last week” but had to be delayed.
Apparently, the talks will not only hinge on the finer details of salary and contract length, but it is the level of the club’s ambition that will be just as important to Conte.
Pitt-Brooke claims the manager hopes to be backed in the impending January transfer window and beyond, in order to build a squad capable of competing at the very top.
Spurs Web Opinion
Antonio Conte has to be given the backing of the board to do what he needs to do in the transfer market. We’ve already seen massive improvement with just a handful of signings, and if Conte knows the club is committed to building on that, I see no reason why he wouldn’t want to make this a long-term project.