Tim Sherwood says ‘Daniel Levy will take a lot of the blame’ if Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season.
The Italian is out-of-contract in the summer and Sherwood thinks Spurs fans won’t be crying if the trophy-laden coach leaves, as he expects him to depart because he has ‘lost his spark’ on the touchline.
On Monday night, Tottenham recorded a much-needed 1-0 win over Fulham to end recent morale-sapping defeats to north London rivals Arsenal and current champions, Manchester City.
It’s not just results that have hurt Conte’s side of late, but the manner of defeats and the style of play.
That has been a big talking point this season and why the team continually concedes 2+ goals a game, although, a much-needed clean sheet was booked at Craven Cottage.
Either way, Sherwood expects Conte to depart once the season is out and he thinks Spurs fans won’t be too fussed about it, as he told Premier League Productions (23/01/23 at 7:50 pm).
“The leader in the dressing room is the manager and he has lost the spark,” said Sherwood. “We saw him dancing around the technical area last season, barking orders, even when they scored, he was jumping all over his staff.
“This hasn’t been the same manager this season. There is something not quite right. Perhaps he hasn’t got his own way in the transfer market. I can understand why Tottenham’s money men aren’t giving him the money because he’s not committed his future to the football club. Waste of time bringing in new players if he’s not going to be there.
“He leaves at the end of the season. He won’t be there, in my opinion. I don’t think he will be there – if you win football matches, then you can play however you want. No-one cares. They haven’t won anything since 2008.
“Now, the time has come where they have stopped winning games and started to lose more frequently, and it’s a horrible watch. They won’t suffer it any longer. I would suggest that if Conte decides he wants to leave at the end of the season, Daniel Levy will take a lot of the blame for it, but I don’t think there will be too many fans crying that Conte is leaving the club because it’s time for a change.
“Unless he gets that spark back and unless there is £500 million to spend, where he is good and allowed to buy the best players. I can’t see him at that club next season.”
CONTE’S FUTURE
From Harry Kane to the man in the dugout, two key figures have very important calls to make this summer.
Ideally, Spurs would want the duo signed up on long-term deals, so they can properly plan for the future and look to end their recent trophy drought.
But as things stand, Tottenham’s £288k-a-week manager (The Telegraph) is heading for the exit door and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he leaves without securing Champions League football because they have a fight on their hands.
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