Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ‘monitoring’ Roberto De Zerbi amid ‘growing whispers’ that Antonio Conte will leave the club this summer.
Conte took over at Spurs towards the end of 2021 following Nuno Espirito Santo’s exit. He did a great job that term as he guided the London club to a top four finish in the Premier League.
Tottenham’s results have been up and down this season and Conte’s future remains in doubt as his contract is due to expire this summer.
Spurs were beaten 1-0 by AC Milan in the Champions League knockout stages earlier this week. Conte recently had surgery to remove his gallbladder and he confirmed on Thursday that he will not return to the touchline until he is fully recovered.
“My great sense of responsibility towards the club, the players, the staff and the fans brought me to anticipate my comeback on the field,”
“Sadly I underestimated the procedure, which wasn’t a routine operation, but a sudden and serious emergency.
“My body has suffered my impatience and now I am forced to stop until my entire recovery. Who knows me understands what a burden this is for me, but it is necessary. Come on you Spurs.”
Football Insider are reporting that Conte’s future is ‘up in the air’ and there is ‘no agreement yet’ over a contract extension.
Tottenham and Conte have reportedly not held talks about a new contract since the end of last year. The report adds that ‘whispers are now growing that the Italian will leave the London giants at the end of the season with neither party especially enthusiastic about committing to a huge-money extension’.
Spurs are ‘assessing potential replacements’ and they are said to be ‘monitoring’ Brighton boss De Zerbi.
The Seagulls head coach is ‘firmly on Tottenham’s radar’ as they have been ‘hugely impressed’ by the job he’s done since replacing Graham Potter in September.
De Zerbi has Brighton on course to qualify for European football as they are sixth in the Premier League and they also have games in hand over their rivals.
Ben Jacobs recently reported that
‘There’s nothing totally defined yet in terms of Conte’s future, and Spurs are relaxed about the situation with all parties ready to wait to see how the project develops. But come March or April we should know where Spurs and Conte stand.
‘If the Italian leaves, Pochettino will be a very serious candidate and he remains in touch with Levy. He won’t be the only name on the list, but he would, for example, be ahead of Thomas Tuchel, who Spurs don’t consider the right fit. Pochettino is also monitoring the situations at both Real (where he’s been linked before) and Atletico Madrid.