The thing with Conte is that, whether he signs a 5-year or 1-year deal, you never know when he will decide to walk away. So if at the end of next season, instead of us triggering the one-year extension, he signs a new 2-3 year contract, that probably tells me he will likely stay for another season and no guarantees beyond that. It's always going to be year-to-year with Conte no matter the length of his contract.Please realise that Conte wants to keep this "threat" so he has some leverage over the players and Levy.
If he signs a comfy 5 year deal, the threat disappears and everyone gets comfy.
The players don't give that last 1% and Levy decides not to buy that top player.
So this is all good for Spurs, all in Conte's masterplan that nothing is comfy. He is plenty rich enough, so it is not a money nor security thing with Conte.
To be fair I am not a fan at all of ITK apart from a select couple of proven guys who barely post anything and are not attention seeking. But if I remember rightly @Grays_1890 broke the news we were in talks with Conte before the media was all over it (in the summer the first time we were in for him when he rejected) and evidently has some form of contacts....
iirc isn't that the Martin O'Neill approach...just a constant 1 year rolling contract. ie 'if you're happy and I'm happy we keep on rolling'.Apparently with Conte he is staying but prefers a fluid view on things as football changes, isnt hung up on contracts as he does not think they benefit him or the club, but I know from some experience with visits and working with the PL at Spurs on a few occasions, he loves it here
FWIW ...the reality is Conte will fudge off whenever HE chooses.
Alternatively...There is a glimmer of hope that we hook him in long termish in a Simeone type of way. ie a club that was challenging but has the chance to conquer the big boys and gets the backing (and control) to do so. It's all about rewards and I'd think Conte would find that very rewarding.
iirc isn't that the Martin O'Neill approach...just a constant 1 year rolling contract. ie 'if you're happy and I'm happy we keep on rolling'.
It's kind of fair on both sides. No large pay off for us (for failure) and flexible enough for the manager if he wants to move on.
FWIW ...the reality is Conte will fudge off whenever HE chooses.
Alternatively...There is a glimmer of hope that we hook him in long termish in a Simeone type of way. ie a club that was challenging but has the chance to conquer the big boys and gets the backing (and control) to do so. It's all about rewards and I'd think Conte would find that very rewarding.
Could this be why Conte never lasted long with other clubs and could Levy be the right Chairman for him?I think there is two separate items with Conte
- He likes leverage/uncertainty, he sees it as the right kind of tension
Levy often talked about a proper Dof leading the business - maybe after a string of heartbreaks starting with Arnesen - he is prepared to let Paratici and Conte manage all footballing matters ? There's tons more non-footballing matters that Levy could put his time to, starting with the Stadium sponsorships but also to other mega events and real estate stuff- The man clearly wants to be tested (and here I rank him above Pep/Klopp), he sees the PL as the biggest test, he sees Spurs as a huge test. To him (and rightly so), achieving success with Spurs will count more than any of the ready-made clubs.
If Levy steps out of the way, it could be an even greater challenge for Conte to bring spurs to glory and keep us there. I am definitely hoping for this as I am sure Levy isn't a footballing man.In the right scenario I could see us getting a few years out of Conte, don't think he'll ever be here for a decade but even 3-4 years of him will completely change the club culture.
People saying that this is a great challenge for Conte and that, if he wins stuff with us, it will hugely enhance his reputation. No disagreement there. But what if everything is done right (players fully bought in and the club gives him its full backing), yet we win nothing for the next 2-3 years? We come close (a couple of 2nd spots, a couple of cup finals, maybe even a CL final), but no silverware. Does Conte stay and say "goddam it, I'm not leaving until I win something with this team," or does he leave for somewhere where he can win again?
Was there a chance he wouldn’t be? Thought he still had a year plus 1 ext on his ctr?
All of this talk on his future is by design, his design. you get the feeling he needs to feel wanted constantly and that his imminent departure is always on the cards, to keep the owners on their toes so they keep him sweet, secure £150m of additional funds for the club, get in touch with the player representation on his list, etc etc.
I quite like some elements of it, he knows his worth and happy to walk if his working conditions aren't met, on the other hand it's rather infuriating as a fan...
Was there a chance he wouldn’t be? Thought he still had a year plus 1 ext on his ctr?