Antonio Conte is reportedly ‘in no rush’ to sign a new contract at Tottenham Hotspur and he has ‘postponed meetings’ with the club’s hierarchy.
Spurs were going through a troublesome time when Conte took over towards the end of last year.
Nuno Espirito Santo replaced Jose Mourinho before the 2021/22 campaign but the ex-Wolves boss only lasted a couple of months.
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Tottenham’s fortunes drastically improved under Conte as against all odds, he helped them finish fourth last season.
The Italian made it clear after being appointed that he needed to be backed so he can sufficiently strengthen his squad. Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur joined them in January and they have spent over £100m on new signings this summer.
This has helped them make an excellent start to the new campaign as they are unbeaten in the Premier League in seven games.
Conte’s long-term future remains in doubt though as his current contract is due to expire in 2023.
‘Spurs insider’ John Wenham moved to calm the club’s supporters earlier this month, suggesting that they will “sort out” Conte’s new deal “around January”:
“That is that Harry Kane’s contract is set to expire in 2024. Nothing signed as yet and it doesn’t seem like talks are ongoing either,” Wenham told Football Insider.
“For now it has all gone quiet but I suspect that will pick up media-wise in January because there will only be 18 months remaining.
“Then you have Conte’s contract which expires at the end of this season. Conte and Tottenham both have the option to extend that by another year.
“I’m sure Tottenham will want that sorted out around January so they know what direction there are going in. I expect those things will pick up in the next couple of months but there are worth noting now because they are issues that are going to pop up.
“Make no mistake about that. Eric Dier also has a contract that expires in 2024 but I expect that to be quicker to sort out compared to some of the others.
“He is very, very happy at the club and it seems his England recall is because of Conte’s work with him. He is very happy at the moment.”
Conte has been linked with a move to Juventus in recent days and it is now being reported that he is not rushing to sign a new contract.
Tuttosport (via Football Italia) are reporting that the manager has even ‘postponed meetings’ with the club’s board as he is currently focused on matters on the pitch.
But it is stated that Tottenham ‘won’t wait forever’ and they have set a deadline of January for an extension to be settled.
