The former Chelsea manager’s proposed move to north London looks to have collapsed despite several rounds of talks
Tottenham’s hopes of appointing Antonio Conte as manager are all but over after talks stalled over a number of key issues, Goal Italy can confirm.
Spurs have been locked in advanced negotiations with the former Inter boss over the past few days but the two parties have failed to reach an agreement over issues such as transfer funds and the future of captain Harry Kane.
However, despite Tottenham’s hopes of appointing Conte fading, they remain in discussions with Fabio Paratici, who is close to agreeing a deal to become the club’s new sporting director.
Why did the Conte talks stall?
One of the main issues of contention between Conte and Tottenham was their transfer plans.
Conte is believed to have requested a sizeable transfer budget to rebuild the squad, something Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was unwilling to offer.
That led to a second disagreement – the future of Harry Kane. The England captain his hinted that he is ready to quit the club this summer but would command a hefty transfer fee as he still has three years left on his contract.
It is understood that if Kane was to be sold, however, Conte wanted guarantees that at least part of the fee generated from the sale – likely to be in excess of £100 million ($141m) – would have been used to sign an adequate replacement.
Again, though, the two did not see eye to eye.
Conte’s wage demands are also believed to be problematic, while there are disagreements over the number of backroom staff he wants to bring with him to north London.
With the move almost certain to collapse under the weight of those issues, Conte may now instead take a year out from management and wait for a better opportunity next season.
What has Conte said?
Though he did not directly refer to his talks with Tottenham, Conte did recently explain his strengths as a manager, telling DAZN: “A team should hire me because I’m a winner and can give guarantees in terms of hard work and the human side of things.
“My greatest merit is giving everything for all of those who work around me without sparing any of myself. I know how to value a team.
“Defect? Those who always give their best for the place they work for can’t have major flaws.
“You have to have the right mentality, the right arrogance. Sometimes I’m too honest, but I don’t consider that a flaw.”
Paratici move still on
The collapse of the Conte talks led to suggestions a deal for Paratici, who worked alongside Conte at Juventus, would also fall by the wayside.
However, talks with Paratici are separate from the discussions with Conte and the club intend to press ahead with a deal to appoint the 48-year-old as their new sporting director.
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