Recently reports emerged linking Antonio Conte with a move to PSG in the summer, with suggestions that Mauricio Pochettino was set to make a dramatic return to North London.
Conte was quick to dismiss such speculation as “fake news”, but the fact that such stories were deemed credible in the first place raises question marks over his commitment to the Tottenham project.
After all, he only signed an 18 month deal when he agreed to take over from Nuno Espirito Santo last November, and six months of that have now elapsed.
In the short-term his focus is clear – steer Spurs back into the Champions League for next season. However, that is unlikely to be the summit of his ambitions.
Conte is a serial winner, having steered teams to league titles in Italy, with Juventus and Inter Milan, and in England, with Chelsea.
He is used to being in contention for the top prizes in the game regularly, but he currently finds himself in charge of a club which has not lifted silverware of any sort since 2008. Their last league title success was 61 years ago.
It is highly unlikely that the club will be in a position to challenge for the league next season if only because the gap between Manchester City, and Liverpool, and the rest, is so great.
They have set a new benchmark this year in terms of quality, and neither is likely to rest on their laurels this summer. City have been linked for a move to Erling Haaland, whilst Liverpool are set to strengthen their squad in several key areas.
That means that Tottenham and their main other rivals will have to invest heavily just to maintain the gap, let alone close it.
And the competition may be about to get even more intense, with Newcastle expected to splash the cash again this summer, whilst Eric ten Hag will be embarking on a major rebuilding job at Manchester United. Neighbours Arsenal are unlikely to sit on their hands either, with the club’s owner promising to add quality as well as quantity to their squad.
Shortly Conte is due to sit down with Technical Director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy, to discuss transfer targets for the summer, and it is reported that he may want up to six new players.
Whether he gets his wish with the notoriously hard-nosed Levy is another issue. Some of the club’s fans believe that Levy is more concerned about maximising the commercial revenues generated by the club, than achieving success on the field.
As long as the ground continues to sell out, and they can use it for lucrative side-line projects like hosting NFL games or staging big boxing promotions, that seems to be enough for him.
Meanwhile, his manager knows that he will always be in the conversation whenever one of the top jobs in Europe becomes available. And, as the board at Chelsea found out to their cost, the Italian is never afraid to provoke a confrontation when things do not go his way.
The next few months at the North London stadium could be about to get bumpy.
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