Tottenham and Antonio Conte have stopped contract renewal talks after a tough few weeks – and Gianluca Di Marzio reckons the Spurs boss will leave at the end of the season
(Image credit: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur are no longer in talks with Antonio Conte over extending his contract beyond this season.
Conte took over from Nuno Espirito Santo midway through last season and managed to guide Spurs into the Champions League at the first time of asking, before investing heavily in the squad last summer. The Italian has seemed bristly, however, with the press in the last year about walking away from the club if they don't match his ambition.
With his contract coming to a conclusion at the end of the campaign, there was an expectation that Tottenham would attempt to keep the serial winner in north London – but now one renowned Italian journalist has said a new deal is a long way off, as both the club and Conte focus on the immediate future.
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has come under fire from Spurs supporters in recent weeks over the direction of the club (Image credit: David Rogers/Getty Images)
“Antonio Conte and Tottenham are not talking anymore about the renewal of the contract because Antonio is focused 100% on the matches and on his family,” Gianluca Di Marzio told soccernews.nl.
“I don't think he will renew the contract, but it's a prediction.”
Mauricio Pochettino, who managed Tottenham prior to Jose Mourinho, has been touted for a potential return. Di Marzio has stated that the Argentine is a more likely candidate than his countryman Diego Simeone, who has also been linked with Premier League moves, since he is leaving Atletico Madrid at the end of the season.
“I think Pochettino can be the right successor of Antonio Conte, just because he knows everything about the Tottenham world, so he doesn't need time to adjust into the club and in the mentality of the club,” Di Marzio said.
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Could Pochettino return to north London? (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
“For Diego Simone, I don't think his defensive type of playing would be for the Tottenham fans. They want a team that will attack and a team that tries to be spectacular with all these offensive players like.
“I think it's a difficult match for a Diego Simeone mentality.”
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
