Tottenham transfer news

EIGHT days after Antonio Conte had torched Tottenham, they finally got round to  sacking the incendiary Italian.They did so under cover of darkness on Sunday night, with a brief, embarrassed statement, on the day their greatest ever goalscorer had been awarded a golden boot on the  Wembley pitch to commemorate becoming England’s all-time leading scorer.
Tottenham star Harry Kane may leave if the club doesn’t show directionCredit: Getty
And after Conte had detonated his stink bomb — claiming his players  were a bunch of “selfish” individuals with no heart — the Daniel Levy brains trust has decreed that the best man to fumigate the dressing-room is  . . . drum roll . . . the Italian’s best mate Cristian Stellini.
It might have escaped your notice but Spurs are still locked in an almighty battle against Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton to secure Champions League football for next season.
And that several elite managers, like Julian Nagelsmann, Maurico Pochettino and Luis Enrique, are out of work and could potentially have taken charge of Spurs straight away.
And that Harry Kane has just a year left on his contract and is desperate to hear any evidence of a sense of direction from his beloved club.
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Instead, he hears of Stellini’s appointment and stories of Spurs drawing up a “shortlist” of up to 10 for the role of Conte’s permanent successor — begging the question, “How long can a shortlist be before it becomes a longlist?”
For several months, Spurs have known Conte would not be in charge next  season. So some sort of succession plan might have been useful.
This is the second time in three seasons that Spurs appear to have written off their season prematurely.
Jose Mourinho was axed less than a week before he was due to lead the team out for the 2021 League Cup final against Manchester City.
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On that occasion, Ryan Mason was handed the caretaker duties and the former England midfielder would have been a more obvious candidate this time, given Stellini’s close friendship with the verbal arsonist who has just left the burnt-out building.
The ex-Genoa defender, 48, is a lovely bloke, very popular with players and the media, but he has a murky past, including a conviction for alleged match-fixing at Italian club Bari which earned him a ban of two-and-a-half years.
His only brief managerial experience came at third-flight club Alessandria in 2017, where he was sacked after three wins in 16 games.
Yet now he must scrap it out with Jurgen Klopp, Geordie Arabia and a brilliant Brighton side for fourth in the Premier League. It’s certainly a leap of faith.
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Tottenham sacked Antonio Conte and replaced him with his assistantCredit: AP
Stellini deputised while 53-year-old Conte was recuperating from gallbladder surgery with mixed results, from an impressive win over champions City to a depressing FA Cup exit at Championship side Sheffield United.
Yet Conte was still in remote control from his sickbed then, now his chum is in full charge for a run-in which includes April dates with all three of Tottenham’s direct rivals for fourth place.
Stellini’s appointment for the remainder of this season is bad news for former boss Pochettino and the many Spurs fans who craved his return.
The Argentinian — a runner-up in the Champions League and Premier League as Spurs chief — would have accepted the job immediately.
So too would former Barcelona and Spain boss Enrique, a coach who favours expansive, attacking football and would fit into the To Dare Is To Do ethos, which Spurs sporadically claim to be important.
Nagelsmann, sacked by Bayern Munich on Friday, was Levy’s No 1 target after Mourinho’s sacking but was soon appointed by Germany’s dominant club.
Tottenham have targeted Julian Nagelsmann as Antonio Conte’s replacementCredit: PA
Still only 35, this skateboarder dude who left his wife for a tabloid journalist, is a colourful, tactically-intelligent, self-confident and abrasive individual, who would surely soon end up feeling the same frustrations about life at Tottenham as Conte and Mourinho did.
Now there is a (remote) possibility that Levy has a masterplan up his sleeve.
That an agreement for the summer appointment of Nagelsmann or a manager currently in employment — such as the Seagulls’ Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank of Brentford, Fulham’s Marco Silva or Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou — is already in place.
But given Tottenham’s track record this is unlikely.
When Mourinho was sacked, they embarked on a desperate 72-day hunt for a new permanent boss — taking in Conte, Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, Julen Lopetegui, Hansi Flick, Paulo Fonseca, Gennaro  Gattuso, Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub — before they stumbled upon Nuno Espirito Santo.
That was the summer when Kane was attempting to leave, as revealed in a TV interview with Gary Neville over a round of golf, when the England striker managed to stand over a birdie putt on the first green before spilling his guts about his frustrations with Tottenham.
Cristian Stellini has replaced Antonio Conte as Tottenham boss until the end of the seasonCredit: AP
Back then, Kane had three years left on his contract and Spurs were able to resist a £100million bid from City.
This time Manchester United is his most likely destination and a hefty offer would be more difficult to resist.
Kane studiously avoided journalists and dodged most of his usual media duties throughout last week’s international duty, knowing that Conte’s future, and his  explosive comments after the tossing away of a two-goal lead at Southampton, would be top of the agenda.
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Now Kane, 29, will return to his club after an historic international break, and recognise the familiar stench left behind by another managerial firestorm.
The England captain will surely be booking another tee time with Neville, studying the jailbreak scenes in The Shawshank Redemption, or penning a more traditional transfer request before long. More

ANTONIO CONTE has broken his silence following his axing at Tottenham as he thanked fans – but also appeared to throw a thinly-veiled jibe in the club’s direction. The Italian left Spurs yesterday after a week of speculation that he was set to be dismissed.
Antonio Conte’s time at Spurs finally came to an end yesterdayCredit: AFP
The announcement came last night eight days after Conte’s final game in charge – a chaotic 3-3 draw with Southampton.
The 53-year-old has now released a statement on his Instagram page 24 hours later as he thanked Spurs supporters in a classy message but also seemed to fire a barb at the club.
He said: “Football is passion. I would like to deeply thank everyone at Spurs who appreciated and shared my passion and my intense way of living football as a coach.”
His intriguing comment comes after his fiery rant where he attacked “selfish” players and hit out at the club’s lack of success.
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Reports in the next few days indicated that his relationship with the players had completely broken down with several wanting him sacked.
Conte added: “A special thought to the fans who always showed me support and appreciation, it’s been unforgettable to hear them singing my name.
“Our journey together has ended, I wish you all the best for the future.”
Conte was appointed head coach in November 2021 as he looked to steady the ship after Nuno Espirito Santo’s brief but troubled reign.
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He managed to get the club into the top four despite their poor start but fans quickly grew uneasy about the style of football.
Concerns over the manager from sections of the fanbase only grew this season while results grew increasingly inconsistent.
Conte also had to deal with health issues which saw him miss a handful of games earlier this year.
The former Chelsea manager often voiced frustration with the club and transfers during press conferences.
His grievances reached a head following last week’s game at St Mary’s when Conte unleased his now infamous rant.
His replacement until the end of the season will be Cristian Stellini, the assistant manager who had to stand in for the boss while he underwent and recovered from gallbladder surgery.
The north London club are reported to be in no rush to find a permanent successor.
This is despite the fact that three of the biggest names linked to the hot seat – Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann – are all currently free agents.
It is possible several big clubs could be soon looking at the trio with the sackings of Nagelsmann and Conte over the past few days potentially triggering a managerial merry-go round in Europe. More

TOTTENHAM will not rush into finding Antonio Conte’s permanent successor – despite three candidates being currently out of work.Antonio Conte finally left the club late on Sunday night with his assistant Cristian Stellini put in caretaker charge until the end of the season.
Daniel Levy has a managerial headache on his handsCredit: AFP
It comes after Tottenham parted ways with Antonio ConteCredit: AFP
Mauricio Pochettino is among the front runnersCredit: Reuters
Luis Enrique is one big name coach linked with the Spurs gigCredit: Reuters
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will assess possible candidates between now and the summer but it has effectively parked their search for the man they want long-term until then.
Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann – who are all under consideration for the vacancy – are currently free agents.
Though the anticipated managerial merry-go-round in Europe is set to play a big part in the process too.
A number of big jobs are expected to become available in the close-season.
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Carlo Ancelotti has been widely tipped to leave Real Madrid, while the likes of Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and the two Milan clubs could all be looking for new bosses.
Pochettino, Enrique and Nagelsmann would all be in the frame for some if not all those roles.
It means Spurs may have to wait to battle it out with those clubs in the summer for any of the trio, should they choose to go for them.
Bayern Munich already took Thomas Tuchel off the table, having sacked Nagelsmann and appointed the ex-Chelsea boss in his place last week.
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While the possible contenders Marco Silva, Ange Postecoglou, Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi are all currently in jobs elsewhere.
Conte, 53, will no doubt be one of the leading names in the hat should any roles emerge in Italy.
His reputation in England may have been diminished somewhat from his time at Spurs but he is still highly-regarded in his homeland, where he won Serie A with Inter in 2021.
Many were expecting Conte’s backroom staff to leave with him, but only his brother Gianluca Conte, his trusted technical and analytics coach followed him out the exit door.
It means the likes of goalkeeping coach Marco Savorani, set-piece specialist Gianni Vio and fitness coaches Stefano Bruno and Costantino Coratti have all stayed to help caretaker Stellini for the final ten games of the season.
Their contracts are up in the summer.
First-team coach Ryan Mason will assist Stellini and both are popular among the squad, who had grown tired of Conte’s repetitive training sessions and the way he put the blame largely on them in public, rather than taking responsibility himself.
That was never more the case than his final, explosive press conference at Southampton last Saturday, where he accused his players of being “selfish” after they had surrendered a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3.
A statement from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust thanked Conte for his hard work but called on Levy to pick a successor whose style of play reflects the club’s tradition of exciting football.
The THST statement read: “At the end of the 2020-21 season in May, chairman Daniel Levy told supporters the club would focus on the recruitment of a head coach saying they were ‘acutely aware of the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and a return to playing football with the style for which we are known’.
“Many supporters will feel the appointments of Nuno Espirito Santo and then Antonio Conte following Jose Mourinho’s spell do not reflect the promises made above.
“In the same statement, Mr Levy said: ‘I feel we lost sight of some key priorities and what’s truly in our DNA.’
“As another season without silverware comes to an end, we would urge the club board to reassess those priorities before appointing a manager the entire fanbase will get behind, and building a team that can truly challenge for domestic and European honours, respecting the traditions of our football club.”

Meanwhile, the preliminary hearing in the Court of Turin regarding whether there should be a criminal trial into allegations of malpractice at Juventus was supposed to begin today but was postponed until May 10.
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Spurs’ managing director of football Fabio Paratici, banned in January for two-and-a-half years by the Italian Football Federation for his part in Juve’s alleged financial irregularities and accounting scandal, is one of the defendants.
Paratici is still waiting to discover if his 30-month suspension will be extended to a global ban and if so, his role at Spurs will surely become untenable.
Julian Nagelsmann has popped onto Tottenham’s radar after his sacking by Bayern MunichCredit: PA
Cristian Stellini was put in charge until the end of the seasonCredit: AP More

EMERSON ROYAL is set to have surgery after damaging his knee playing for Brazil.The Tottenham full-back, 24, limped off during the Samba Boys’ 2-1 friendly defeat against Morocco on Saturday.
Tottenham defender Emerson Royal is set to miss the remainder of the seasonCredit: GETTY
Royal will undergo surgery on his knee after damaging it on international duty with BrazilCredit: EPA
He will now go under the knife in London with his recovery time expected to take up to six weeks.
That time frame should mean he will be back for the final few games of the season but he will miss a significant chunk of their remaining ten fixtures.
Royal had only just earned a recall to his national side after a barnstorming February for his club, in which he was nominated for the Premier League’s player of the month.
He scored the opener in the 2-0 win over West Ham that month and was a key player in the 1-0 win over Manchester City.
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Yet he had been left out of the starting line-up in favour of January signing Pedro Porro.
Tottenham are currently managerless following Antonio Conte’s departure on Sunday night.
The Italian was relieved of his duties after weeks of brutally criticising the Spurs brass and players in the press.
Royal had a good relationship with his former manager, despite admitting he could be very “explosive.”
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Tottenham parted company with Antonio Conte on Sunday nightCredit: AFP
He told Globo Esporte: “As for Conte, I have a good relationship with him, he’s not that coach that we have a very close relationship with, of talking a lot, it’s his way,
“He’s a coach who wants to help everyone, instructs, he shows the role he wants in each one’s game.
“I don’t see any problem, I have a good relationship with him.
“Conte is a coach who has this explosive side of him, a personality he created, but he is a coach who tries to help us as much as possible.”
Tottenham will be back in action next Monday, travelling to Goodison Park to take on Premier League strugglers Everton. More

FOR Antonio Conte, this always seemed like a marriage of inconvenience.One that he had already rejected five months before he eventually acquiesced to Daniel Levy’s persistence.
Antonio Conte and Tottenham have parted waysCredit: Reuters
Conte launched an astonishing rant on his players after they threw away a 3-1 lead against SouthamptonCredit: PA
And one that, in the eyes of many Tottenham fans, he gave the impression he felt he was too good for from the moment he committed to what he described just last week as a “strange” contract in November 2021.
That it has come to a divorce now is no surprise and probably a relief to all parties involved.
To the supporters, the majority of whom had had enough of his pragmatic style of play and evasive answers when quizzed on his commitment to the club.
To the players, whom Conte threw under the bus in THAT explosive press conference nine days ago after they had surrendered a 3-1 lead at Southampton, drawing 3-3.
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To the hierarchy, who knew what they were getting themselves into when hiring a notoriously spiky manager but must have been becoming increasingly worried every time he spoke publicly.
And lastly to Conte himself, who never seemed truly convinced he was the right fit for Spurs and has had a hell of a six months on the personal front.
The Italian was first approached in the summer of 2021, following the season when fellow box-office boss Jose Mourinho had been axed.
When explaining why he turned Spurs down he explained to Gazzetta Dello Sport that June: “Money is not my obsession. I look at projects and I’m ready to stay at home if they don’t convince me.”
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Nonetheless, almost half a year later he had taken the role, ready to save the day after the miserable Nuno Espirito Santo experiment.
Yet even the terms he signed – a £15million-a-year, 18-month contract with an option of a further season – were designed for both he and the club to size up each other’s long-term suitability.
By and large, his first season was a big success but not without some bumps that hinted at trouble further down the line.
The media session at St Mary’s will be the abiding memory of Conte at Spurs, but his press conference at Burnley in February last year was also unforgettable.
Following a limp 1-0 defeat to a team that would eventually be relegated, the ex-Chelsea boss suggested he could walk, commenting: “Maybe I’m not so good.”
It was premeditated, designed to kickstart the club’s season after four defeats in five games, and blimey, it worked.
Spurs went on a storming run of ten wins from their remaining 14 Premier League games to snatch fourth spot on the final day from arch-rivals Arsenal.
Everything seemed so positive: from Harry Kane’s revival after his early-season mope after missing out on a move to Manchester City, to super Son Heung-min sharing the golden boot, to the stellar January signings of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.
Daniel Levy decided to act after Conte publicly slammed his playersCredit: AFP
£170m has been spent on new signings, including Richarlison who has floppedCredit: Reuters
The football could be thrilling back then – it would be revisionist to suggest otherwise – as Kulusevski, Son and Kane combined for blistering counter-attacks.
Yet still Conte refused to say publicly he would stay beyond that summer, even ducking questions in the bowels of Carrow Road on the final day after a 5-1 win had assured a return to the Champions League.
He was placated with assurances money would be spent during the close season and that was backed up with six quick signings.
They even included Ivan Perisic, a 34-year-old with no resale value and on huge money – a very un-Tottenham signing – to satisfy their manager, albeit the Croat was a free agent.
Though, crucially, they did not sign the top-class central defender Conte wanted, missing out on Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni, and instead deferring the problem for another year by loaning Clement Lenglet from Barcelona.
And it is rather damning to think that, at present, freebie back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster has probably been the pick of the bunch.
While Conte made his feelings clear on new-boy Djed Spence, bought from Championship side Middlesbrough, when bringing up unprompted during the club’s pre-season tour of South Korea that the England Under-21 starlet was “a club signing”.
It was a comment he repeated last month when describing the January loan capture of poor Arnaut Danjuma, who has barely featured.
Yet despite around £170million being spent, this season has slowly gone pear-shaped.
There are extenuating circumstances with injuries to key players like Bentancur, Kulusevski, Hugo Lloris and new signing Richarlison, as well as the interruption of the winter World Cup.
Personally, Conte has been hit by tragedy with the deaths of three close friends
Conte’s press conference was the final straw for Spurs
That tournament has meant a congested fixture list which seems to hit Conte’s sides harder than other managers.
It is noticeable how much better his teams fare after a free week to prepare.
Conte was hit by three personal tragedies too with the deaths of close friends Gian Piero Ventrone, the beloved Spurs’ fitness coach, Sinisa Mihaljovic and Gianluca Vialli in a matter of months.
Then he was forced to miss five matches due to gallbladder surgery at the start of February.
In fairness to those who have questioned his commitment to the Spurs cause, he originally returned from going under knife far too early and was forced to take more time off to recover.
Yet regardless of what he or the team has been through, there is no escaping the fact that form and results have gone backwards this season.
Spurs were dumped out of the League Cup by Nottingham Forest, the FA Cup by Championship Sheffield United and the Champions League by hardly a vintage AC Milan side.
They are hanging onto fourth place but were conceding two goals a game during a ten-game stretch either side of Qatar.
Defensive solidity is the least you expect from a Conte team when the football is dull to watch, which it undeniably has been this season.
Most of all, Conte was brought in to win, given his reputation of being as close as you can get in football to a guarantee of silverware.
In that regard, he failed, even if those expectations were perhaps set too high, as he suggested himself earlier this month.
And with him torching morale with his incendiary presser at Southampton – where he took next to no blame for the team’s failings, devaluing any points he was making about the club long-term – it made sense he go now.
As ex-Spurs midfielder Danny Murphy said: “He’s been overpaid and underachieved.
Conte took a hiatus while he recovered from surgery – only to return to see Spurs knocked out of the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
Over time, Conte appeared to be disilussioned with life at Spurs
“The feeling about the place isn’t good. It’s not a football club that feels on the up or harmonious and I’m a believer that that all comes from your manager.”
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It feels as if Conte had been consciously uncoupling from Spurs for some time.
Whoever the club go for next in the summer, it needs to be a manager who is committed to them – and really means it. More