Report: Antonio Conte makes decision which could require U-turn from Daniel Levy ahead of meeting

By Lee Connor

Antonio Conte and Daniel Levy are set for talks about a new contract soon but there could be some disagreement over the club’s youngsters.

Conte is known for wanting to have readymade players in his squad. He has been backed in the transfer market as well to make that happen, with a number of signings made to the tune of over £150m.

However, one bone of contention between Levy and Conte in those talks could be the use of the academy. According to a report from Football London today, Conte has an expectation on his academy staff to provide players who are ready to play at first-team level. With that, it’s suggested Conte isn’t as interested in helping their development as previous Spurs managers might have been.

It’s reported by FL that there is a risk that Tottenham lose some of their best academy players over time. And with that, it goes against a lot of what Daniel Levy has spoken about in terms of the Tottenham DNA over the years.

With that, it could mean that Levy has a big U-turn to make if he wants to keep Conte.

TBR’s View: Short-term the goal for Conte at Tottenham

Tottenham and Levy knew what they were getting into when they hired Antonio Conte. This is a manager who doesn’t hang around too long but, on the flipside, he does win things.

The key for Levy really is going to be convincing Conte to stay around a bit longer than he normally would. If he can do that, then there’s more scope to talk about the future academy plans as things go along.

However, Spurs’ future and investment into the youth system means Conte must at least recognise its importance to the club. If not, then Levy and Conte might well come to blows.