Conte tipped to ditch Tottenham as pundit claims his ‘legend’ reputation is sinking rapidly

Paul Merson has claimed that Antonio Conte will not be Tottenham manager next season following a troublesome start to life back in the Premier League.

The Italian manager has made his name as a serial title winner in his coaching career across Europe. He initially rose to prominence with three Serie A titles at Juventus. The 52-year-old then loosened Juve’s grip on top spot by leading Inter to top-flight glory last term.

However, Conte has also had a fantastic impact on English football. He led Chelsea to title triumph in his debut campaign before bowing out of Stamford Bridge in 2018 with the FA Cup.

Nevertheless, Conte has found his return to Premier League management at Tottenham harder. He has regularly insisted that Spurs are way off fighting towards the top of the table.

What’s more, he has voiced frustration over the transfer situation at the club. Conte slammed “mistakes” in the past which led to him shipping four first-team players out in a “very strange” January window. Meanwhile, he added Juventus pair Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski – but wanted Adama Traore and Luis Diaz.

While Conte has also insisted that he will see out his initial 18-month Tottenham contract and hope for significant backing, talk about his future is growing.

Indeed, pundit Merson told Sky Sports: “I worry with this situation at Tottenham. I don’t think he’ll be there next season, I think he’ll jump ship.

“He won’t care where he goes, he’s not on a youth training scheme, he isn’t going to have to work. He’s waited and waited and picked this job, he’s been out the Premier League a while, he came in at Chelsea and done a great job.

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“He’s come in at Tottenham here and he’s looked and gone, ‘Wow, we are a million miles away’.

“These managers are not in it to come fourth, fifth and sixth in the league, they’re winners.”

Merson added that Conte could fear about his reputation as a manager due to his recent struggles.

Spurs came into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City after three straight Premier League defeats.

Tottenham a test for Conte and his reputation

“Every week that goes past here, Conte’s becoming less and less of a name,” Merson added. “When he came in, the man was a legend. All of a sudden now, that’ll get less and less.

“They had games in hand, they’ve played their games in hand and they’re still where they were.

“They’re not getting beat by Man City and teams like that, they lost to Southampton and Wolves. But they got beat, I mean they got rinsed.”

Spurs will hope for a top-four finish this term to get them back in the Champions League and on the road to silverware.

Tottenham face uphill task

Tottenham face a scrap with Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United and Wolves for fourth spot in the Premier League.

After the clash with Man City, they still have to face Liverpool and United away from home.

A clash with West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be a defining one too.

As such, Spurs face an uphill task to get the results to beat their rivals to the final Champions League qualification spot for next season.