Tottenham stars could desert the club after new Antonio Conte reveal – pundit
Noel Whelan has claimed some Tottenham stars are only at the club because of manager Antonio Conte.
The former Leeds striker was speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the Italian, 53, refused to place on record his desire to renew his contract at the club.
Conte, who has been linked with a return to Juventus amid Max Allegri’s struggles, is out of contract at the end of this season.
As quoted by The Guardian (30 September), the Spurs boss slammed those “disrespectful” reports – but stopped short of committing his future to the London club.
He insisted the club have “the whole season” to find the “best solution” to his contract situation.
Conte raided former club Juventus to bring in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in January – and has also returned to Inter Milan for veteran wing-back Ivan Perisic.
Whelan suggested there is “no point” in making any more signings while Conte’s future remains unresolved.
He insisted Spurs’ “long-term plan” will only work with the Italian at the helm.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “They’ll be working hard behind the scenes to get this sorted.
“Because at the moment, there’s no point making any more signings if he’s not going to be there next season.
“A lot of players come into football clubs because of the manager and that is the case for a few of Spurs’ players.
“There’s a long-term plan, but it only works if Conte is the manager.
“I don’t think Tottenham will want to wait until the summer to sort it out. They’ll be working hard to figure out how they can keep him for at least three years.
“Look at what he’s done in a year, he’s transformed them into trophy contenders.
“Without Conte, I’m not sure. I think the players are there for him.
“I just believe he’s at the beginning of this job and something special could come out of it.”
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