Antonio Conte set for crunch talks with Daniel Levy over exit comments
By Tom Gott
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is planning talks with manager Antonio Conte after the Italian's stunning claims that his future at the club is in doubt.
After Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Burnley, Spurs' fourth in their last five games, Conte repeatedly stressed his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium may need to come to an end, as well as suggesting that the quality of the players was to blame for the team's struggles.
As stressed by The Athletic, Levy remains determined to ensure that his latest high-profile appointment does not end in tatters and he is braced for face-to-face talks with Conte to get to the bottom of his unhappiness.
Levy has been hugely impressed with Conte since his arrival and believes he is the right man for the job, but he is aware that keeping the Italian happy is not always as easy as it sounds.
There are no plans to sack the manager, while Conte himself is not expected to resign midway through the campaign.
In fact, managing director Fabio Paratici is understood to be backing Conte and Levy over the playing squad, many of whom were not best pleased by their manager's latest comments.
Conte's statement that 'managers change but the results remain the same' came just a few days after he claimed that this Spurs squad was one of the best he had ever worked with, and there are some in the dressing room who feel exasperated by Conte's willingness to go from hot to cold without warning.
There is mass respect for Conte and the squad are understood to enjoy working under the Italian, but the Daily Mail note that some players were not impressed by his decision to go public with his comments and bring more of a spotlight on a club who find themselves under immense pressure already.
However, there are some in the dressing room who believe Conte was doing little more than angling for summer investment by putting public pressure on the club's hierarchy.
There are strong feelings that Conte may not be at the club next season but Levy is determined to keep the Italian happy and will seek to give him the assurances he is looking for in the hope of keeping the peace.