Corriere dello Sport has linked Inter boss Antonio Conte with the Tottenham job, a stirring rumour that probably won’t materialize into anything more than social media fodder.
The publication, one of three major sports outlets based in Rome, reports that Tottenham Hotspur have had “fruitful and interesting” talks with Conte about becoming the north London club’s next manager.
It’s a sensationalist bit of news published for numerous reasons, the primary of which to garner a spike in clicks and readership numbers. Here’s three main reasons Conte won’t be appointed as Tottenham’s next gaffer.
Desirous of defending Serie A title
Conte has led Inter Milan to the top of the Serie A mountain. Winning the Serie A represents yet another impressive achievement in the 51 year old’s esteemed managerial career. Conte will want to stay with the Italian giants for a chance to repeat as domestic champions.
Inter has dominated this season’s Serie A, losing only twice in 35 matches. While joining Spurs offers an intriguing project, Conte has found his groove in his second season as the club’s manager. He’ll be keen to sustain the momentum his side have gained over the course of an impressive season.
He won’t want to uproot his family once again to take on a job that is riddled with uncertainty and deep-seated organizational issues. Comfortable in his current role, Conte will find the prospect of managing Tottenham a risk too big to take.
Champions League ambitions
Conte has not yet won the Champions League as a manager and will have every intention of lifting Inter to that rarified air in next season’s competition. It’s an elusive title every manager sets their aspirational eye on, and one that Conte has no chance of winning for the foreseeable future at Tottenham.
Inter’s participation in the Champions League combined with Tottenham’s absence from Europe’s most elite competition will be enough of a deterrent for Conte. Managers of his pedigree need to be on the touchline for Tuesday and Wednesday evening encounters. It’s a part of his DNA and he will not want to part ways with one of the most rewarding aspects of being an elite manager.
Conte and Daniel Levy are not compatible
The Italian gaffer is a real spitfire, a highly energetic enigma whose effervescence cannot be suppressed. His larger-than-life personality will not gel well with Levy’s need for ultimate control.
Conte needs complete autonomy and free rein to do whatever he deems necessary to find a winning formula. That includes handpicking his own personnel in the transfer market and having the license to do so without his decisions being immediately scuppered. Levy will need to hand over the keys to the castle if Conte has any chance of taking the position.
That is something Levy won’t be willing to relinquish control over.