Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tim Sherwood questions loyalty of Tottenham superstars with Antonio Conte decision key to duo’s future

Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Tim Sherwood feels ensuring Antonio Conte remains as Tottenham manager beyond this season is crucial to keeping two star men at the club.

Conte, 53, stepped into the Spurs hotseat on November 2 last year as the Nuno Espirito Santo experiment backfired. He guided the north Londoners to fourth in the Premier League last season, pipping rivals Arsenal to the final Champions League spot on offer. The Italian tactician has overseen a decent start to 2022-2023, with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium outfit currently third in the standings.

But he has come in for criticism for their style of play, and they were woeful in a 2-0 loss to Manchester United this week.

The former Chelsea chief will be out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

And ex-Tottenham boss Sherwood believes it is crucial that Conte renews to prevent a couple of world-class forwards from leaving.

“He has only got until the end of the season, I mean he has not signed a new contract,” he told Sky Sports.

“Asking Harry Kane, Son (Heung-min) and that to extend their contracts, why would you extend your contract if you believe in this manager and this manager is only going to be there until the end of the season.”

Kane is enjoying another stellar campaign for Spurs, with nine league goals from 11 outings.

Son struggled to find his goalscoring form early on. But he came off the bench to score a hat-trick against Leicester City on September 17.

The duo are key players for Conte as he tries to keep pace with the Premier League big-hitters.

Rumours of Conte exit won’t go away

Conte has never been a manager to play a style of football that is easy on the eye.

With the Italian mantra of making a side hard to beat embedded in his DNA, there have been times when Spurs have not been an easy watch.

But the former Juventus and Inter Milan coach is a proven winner, with five top-flight titles on his CV already. And Sherwood feels the club needs to act swiftly to prevent him from returning to his homeland.

“They have to make a decision on him very soon,” he continued. “There is speculation about him going back to Italy and he is lauded in Italy because of the style of how he wants to play.”

Kane future still in question

Kane pushed for a Tottenham exit in the summer of 2021. Manchester City were heavily linked, with the England captain making it clear he was keen on the move.

The two clubs could not agree on a fee, however, as the talented hitman remained in the capital.

The uncertainty over his career clearly affected his form, with goals hard to come by early last term. He ended up with 17 in the league and 27 overall after rallying later in the season.

Kane is under contract until the summer of 2024. But rumours that he will leave before then are still doing the rounds.

Bayern Munich are said to hold an interest in acquiring the Walthamstow-born ace.

However, other clubs will doubtless enter the picture should the man with 51 Three Lions goals express a desire to leave once again.

Spurs will not want that to happen. And that is why stability at the club is vital, with Conte’s contract situation needing attention sooner rather than later.

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