Spurs back in running for top four

MUCH to the dismay of a lot of Arsenal fans, it looks like Tottenham are firmly back in the running for a place in the Premier League’s top four this season.

Spurs’ recent 5-1 hammering of a resurgent Newcastle side was their fifth win on the trot in the league. It also came not long after it looked like Antonio Conte could walk out of the club despite only being in charge for a few months.

Spurs have truly had a roller-coaster of a season. They started with a bang under Nuno Espirito Santo before the former Wolves boss ended up getting sacked. They then dropped behind London rivals Arsenal, losing convincingly to the likes of Southampton, Burnley and Manchester United.

Spurs’ recent form gives them a good chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, though they will need to fend off competition from the Gunners, West Ham, Manchester United and Wolves, all of whom are still in the running.

There is plenty of reason for Spurs fans to be confident under Conte. Since the Italian took charge, the only Liverpool and Manchester City have mustered more points than them. Moreover, they had to make do without Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Son Heung-Min for much of these games through injury. Harry Kane was strongly tipped to leave Spurs at the end of last season but the England captain may now re-think his stance. The future may be bright under Conte and they are after all his boyhood club.

However, whether the club finishes in the top four this season is likely to determine whether Kane and Conte stay for the long term. Kane is now in the prime of his powers and will now want to be playing Champions League football. As seen from his past record, Conte, while a tactical genius, can be a loose cannon and exit clubs the moment that he disagrees with the board, as happened in his stint with Inter Milan.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is known for being one of the toughest negotiators in world football. Should Spurs fail to finish in the top four, there is a strong chance that he may be hesitant to give Conte a big sum of money to use in the next transfer window on squad development.

It remains to be seen how adaptable Conte will be at Spurs. One of the reasons his Chelsea stint ended in 2018 was because his wingback based system was figured out. Will he be able to rejuvenate Spurs once they eventually undergo a bad patch under him?