Don’t Conte on new deal
ANTONIO CONTE will award himself a ‘well done’ sticker if Tottenham beat Leeds today.
But the Italian has offered zero assurances that he will use the World Cup break to sort out a new contract.
Spurs know that unless they slip up badly at home to Jesse Marsch’s visitors they will spend Christmas in the top four.
And given that this will be their 13th game in three different competitions since October 1, Conte reckons that counts as success against the odds.
“We are at the last game of this marathon,” he said.
“We played 13 games but every game was really, really tough and we lost a lot of energy.
“To finish with a win would be very important for us because if you continue to stay in the top four in this first part of the season, it means you did a good job.”
Conte vowed to talk with chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici during the World Cup but said he was not expecting an upgrade to his contract, which expires in June.
He said: “After the first part of the season it is right to have a meeting with the club and then to discuss about the positives things, the negatives things and how we can improve.
“For every manager, when you start a path with a new club, your dream and your hope is to stay for a long time, to have the possibility to work and to continue to improve with your team.
“You know very well that in the modern football it’s not easy to have a long period for a manager because many times it’s the club that makes the decision to sack you after bad results.
“In our job, we are in constant danger every day about this aspect.
“Then sometimes you are lucky to have good results and to find the club with the same ambitions as you, the same desire, the same will to improve together and to grow.
“When this happens you’re a lucky person, a lucky man. Every manager dreams of this situation. The reality, unfortunately, is not always this.”
Wing-back Ryan Sessegnon has been ruled out and Conte must decide if forwards Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski are fit enough to start following injury.