Journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has insisted that there are key issues between Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte when it comes to agreeing on a new contract.
It was reported last week that Spurs and Conte had opened up fresh talks to try and thrash out terms over a deal that would keep the Italian boss at the club for the long term, despite Tottenham currently having the option to automatically extend his existing deal by one year.
While many reports have suggested the noises have been positive and that Spurs were confident of agreeing a new contract with Conte, Pitt-Brooke believes there are some issues that are refusing to go away.
Pitt-Brooke has revealed on The View From The Lane podcast that ensuring Spurs back Conte and match his ambitions is an issue that is potentially threatening the chance of a new deal.
He said: “Tottenham, I think, are confident that they can agree a deal. That said, as well as some of that positive noise, there’s also a bit of negative noise around that I’ve picked up over the course of the last few weeks.
Will Conte sign a new contract?
Yes!
No!
“It’s fair to say the issues that have been flagged in the past – do Tottenham share Antonio Conte’s ambition, do they want to win, will they spend money in January – I’m hearing that these are issues that are forming part of the negotiation and that Conte wants assurances on.”
TIF Thoughts on Conte’s contract talks…
It’s a mixed bag for Spurs fans to take from Pitt-Brooke’s comments given that the club are thought to be confident they can keep Conte at the club and hand him a new deal, but they may be concerned that he doesn’t feel like he has the assurances he’s wanted ever since he walked into the club last year.
From Daniel Levy’s point of view, however, he may feel he can do little more to prove to Conte he’s got the backing of the club after handing him 10 new players in two transfer windows, including big-money deals for Cristian Romero and Richarlison.
While people at the club may well be confident Conte will sign a new deal, if the Italian doesn’t feel like he’s being allowed to work and do what he does best at clubs, he could turn around and walk out at any given moment, so we think these contract talks could end up being drawn-out and tentative.