Antonio Conte has not appeared on the Tottenham Hotspur training ground in recent days, writes The Evening Standard. According to the English newspaper, it is still unknown when the Italian will report back to the Spurs. The name of Julian Nagelsmann, who is approaching his resignation from Bayern Munich, is already on the list as a possible successor to the Italian.
Conte flew to Italy on Monday, the day after the draw at Southampton (3-3). Tottenham didn’t think that was strange, because that happens more often during international matches. On Thursday, Conte was nowhere to be seen during training and the coach was not to be seen on Thursday either. The noises about an early departure have therefore become stronger. Calciomercato reports that Conte only wants to return to London if he gets clarity about his future from the club management. Assistant coaches Ryan Mason and Cristian Stellini are in charge of the selection in Conte’s absence, which is currently considerably thinned out due to the international match period.
More than two weeks ago, the offensively impotent Tottenham could not prevent elimination against AC Milan in the Champions League. A 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest followed, after which expensive points were lost at Southampton last weekend. During the press conference after that game, Conte was furious. “I am not used to this at all. I see a lot of egoists, I don’t see a team. I see 11 players playing for themselves, going onto a field and putting absolutely no heart and soul into the game,” he said clearly.
Conte also had no good word for the management of the club. “The owner (Joe Lewis, ed.) Has been here for twenty years and they have never won anything? How did that happen? You risk making the mistake of pointing the finger at the manager, but I know what it’s like to win and to win against big opponents. I tried to camouflage the situation, but not anymore. This is unacceptable for all those fans who buy a ticket and follow us.” Conte’s contract runs until the middle of this year. Tottenham have an option to extend the contract for a year, but that currently seems a very unrealistic scenario. The Tottenham players also do not assume that Conte will be on the bench against Everton on April 3.
Nagelsmann
According to The Evening Standard Tottenham is already looking further and keeping an eye on Nagelsmann’s situation. The Bayern Munich coach seems to be getting his congé very soon. Nagelsmann had previously been on Tottenham’s radar when it became clear that Jose Mourinho would leave the club. Nagelsmann, however, moved to Bayern, after which Tottenham switched to Conte. La Republica writes that AS Roma will be his possible new employer if Mourinho leaves the Roman club after this season. AC Milan and Internazionale, Conte’s former employer, would also monitor Conte’s situation.