Yes, he Kane ANTONIO IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN KEEP HARRY HAPPY AT SPURS
ANTONIO CONTE might just be Tottenham’s last throw of the dice when it comes to keeping Harry Kane.
Let’s be honest, Kane didn’t stay at Spurs this summer because of Nuno Espirito Santo, did he? He stayed because chairman Daniel Levy dug his heels in and didn’t allow him to leave.
On the face of it, things have now changed following the sacking of Santo and arrival of Conte.
Spurs have landed themselves a serious upgrade because the Italian is an elite coach who has won league titles with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus.
He took over all three of those teams and turned them into champions.
But has the landscape in north London really changed enough for Kane to perform a u-turn and ditch his plans to quit Spurs altogether?
The suggestion is Kane now believes Conte’s arrival can help Spurs challenge for trophies and even fulfil his ambitions of having something tangible to show for his supreme talents when he comes to hanging up his boots.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Spurs have now exceeded 5,000 days since they last won silverware, the League Cup back in 2008, and despite having countless managers since then, have been the polar opposite of prolific.
Conte is a winner, for sure, but he is taking charge at a time when Manchester
City, Liverpool and his old club Chelsea continue to show themselves being on a different level to the rest.
That isn’t going to change anytime soon, not while the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel remain in charge of their respective teams. Manchester United are sure to be up alongside these three once common sense prevails and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is replaced with someone who knows what he’s doing at the highest level.
Then we have the progress of West Ham and Leicester, not to mention the fact Newcastle have become the richest club in the world and seem hell-bent on conquering it, once they have the wit to come up with a feasible plan to do so. Throw in the reluctance of Levy (left) to spend big and Conte’s reputation for being high maintenance, and you start to wonder how long the current love-in will last with his new employers. Kane saw the summer transfer window slam shut in his face without a dream move to Manchester City having materialised, but he retained hope that a switch elsewhere could be resurrected next summer.
He still has three years of his £300,000-a-week deal to run and will be hoping Conte is now the answer to all his dreams – but he could get the ball rolling himself by scoring a league goal or two, starting today at Everton.
If those dreams relate to any trophy of any description then he might see them fulfilled, but if they involve a title medal or Champions League glory then the England captain might have to brace himself for a nightmare instead.
Conte has signed an initial 18-month deal but will need much more time than this to stand a realistic chance of transforming Spurs into the sort of side Kane wants them to be.
And we all know that in football, time is the most precious commodity of all.
Just ask the man Conte has replaced.