God took seven days to create the world. Amazon delivery? Three-four days to arrive. The lifespan of the European Super League? Two days. Antonio Conte as Tottenham manager? One day. It seems like the “history of the Tottenham” has struck once more, with the Italian no longer wanting to become Spurs manager after strong reports emerged of him being close to agreeing to his next appointment.
Antonio Conte has not changed his mind about Tottenham in the last 24 hours, after Spurs were trying to find a solution to appoint him also yesterday afternoon. Not even Fabio Paratici’s imminent agreement to become new Tottenham director of football convinced Conte. ⚪️❌ #THFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2021
The fateful differences arising between Conte and chairman Daniel Levy centred on the issue of finances and the future of the club. While this announcement comes as another blow to their managerial search, Spurs are getting a new sporting director with ex-Juventus executive Fabio Paratici set to arrive shortly.
BREAKUP CITY
This whole affair was looking a bit impractical right from the beginning. Conte is renowned for his winning mentality and passion to win trophies every year no matter the club he is associated with. Spurs have not won a trophy…in a long, long time. It was pretty shocking news that the club was looking to bring the former Inter and Juventus boss, given the fact that their finances have been hard hit by the pandemic. That was where the main sticking issue arose when negotiations commenced.
How Antonio Conte would change Tottenham’s shape and mentality https://t.co/ONtusCI3zc
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 4, 2021
Conte wanted to bring in at least four members of his staff to London, along with wanting a higher salary than Levy wanted to pay him. Furthermore, the 51-year-old wanted to spend a decent amount of money, estimated around £100m in the upcoming transfer market.
Now, this kind of direction was not what Levy had envisaged when he let go of Jose Mourinho in April. The chairman had talked about bringing a manager who can help in developing youth players from the academy alongside working with established stars already present at the club.
The failed pursuit of Antonio Conte, a coach very different to the template described by Daniel Levy in his letter to the Spurs fans on May 19. A club that doesn’t seem to know what kind of manager it wants https://t.co/X3dUvttDyr
— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) June 5, 2021
That is why Levy had also tried to persuade Mauricio Pochettino to have a second go at the helm. However, the Argentine chose to remain with PSG for the time being and see out his contract till next year. All of the above do not coincide with Conte’s plans who wanted a “win now” team to keep the stream of his successes going for long. This was cited as the key motivator behind him leaving the Nerazzurri so abruptly despite winning the Scudetto this term.
https://twitter.com/FootTheBall/status/1397619068736360462?s=20
Inter failed to assure Conte of being able to remain competitive by keeping their best players and making necessary signings in the long term for continued success. They were actively looking for player sales to keep the club afloat. More roadblocks in the Spurs-Conte deal came in the form of continued speculation surrounding the future of talisman Harry Kane.
The Premier League’s leading goal scorer and assists maker had stated his desire to leave the club after having to failed to lift a trophy in more than half a decade. With the Englishman’s departure set to happen sooner rather than later, Manchester City and PSG have emerged as strong suitors, it was further proof that Conte will not be able to have the team he wants. If Kane does go, it will end all chances of Spurs winning silverware anytime soon due to the lack of replacements in the current transfer market.
WHAT NOW FOR EACH PARTY
For Spurs, Daniel Levy and new member Paratici, it is back to the drawing board in their long, unfulfilled quest of selecting a manager. Whoever they seem to target decides against the project. Pochettino is staying in France, Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag signed an extension for a further year and currently, there are very few proven prospects to go after. It will be interesting to see who does agree to take over and what the future holds for the club.
Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag 'back in the frame to become new Tottenham manager' https://t.co/mLXr5J6HTL
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) June 5, 2021
Meanwhile, Conte, speaking to DAZN, has said that he wants to have an “experience abroad once more…[and] in America too.” He has not had any further offers as of yet, and with this kind of experience happening twice in quick succession, only a top club will be able to snare him. This latest failure between the club and the prospective manager, however, was always looking like a match being forced together instead of an organic coming together.