Tottenham Hotspur hold an option to extend Antonio Conte's contract at any time, football.london understands, amid reports linking the Italian with a return to Juventus.
The 53-year-old former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss has made a big impression at Spurs in his first 10 months in charge. He swept them up the table to a fourth place finish last season and a return to Champions League football in the wake of the failed Nuno Espirito Santo era and this campaign has brought an unbeaten start in the Premier League with Tottenham one point off the top of the table.
With Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri under fire at the Turin club, some in the Italian media have linked Conte with a return to the club he enjoyed plenty of success at before an acrimonious departure in 2014, just a day into pre-season. Conte and Juventus owner Andrea Agnelli reportedly fell out at that point and last year there were suggestions of a spat between the two men when Inter played Juventus, with claims that Conte made a gesture at Allegri who reportedly swore back at him.
READ MORE: Matt Doherty raves about Antonio Conte and explains what Tottenham boss told him before exit
Juventus director Pavel Nedved is said to have been keen to get Conte back to Turin in recent years but Agnelli has reportedly previously not consented to any approach. Another obstacle for the Serie A side if they did decide to move for Conte, and he wanted to go, is that Spurs hold the cards when it comes to the Italian's contract and thus any potential compensation demanded.
Conte's contract ends next summer, after this current 2022/23 season's conclusion, but there is an option to extend that deal. There had previously been suggestions that it was a rare 'two-way option', which would require both parties to agree to the extension. However, football.london understands that it is Tottenham who hold the option and the club can trigger it at any time.
An emotional man who showed his displeasure last season at aspects within the club, Conte now seems settled at Spurs, with those inside Spurs saying he's the most happy and relaxed they have seen him since his arrival last November. Managing director of football Fabio Paratici worked quickly to improve his compatriot's squad in the summer and provided him with the new signings to work with in pre-season with seven players signed in total, with one, Destiny Udogie, loaned back to Udinese for the season.
While Conte, like all managers, wanted more from the transfer window, he has consistently acknowledged that to transform Tottenham into a side "winning important things" would be a multi-window project.
The Spurs head coach continues to balance his family life, either flying home to Italy immediately after many weekend matches and during this international break to see his wife Elisabetta and teenage daughter Vittoria, who is settled at school in their homeland, or the pair travel to the UK to stay with him some weekends and during the school holidays.
There have been some suggestions from those that know Conte that the Italian would be happy to discuss a new deal with Tottenham, but he did tell football.london in Israel during pre-season that he is not a man who needs a long contract to keep him happy and that if the club carried on its current course then he would remain part of its long-term future.
"I have to be honest. In my career the contract was never important. I didn't need to sign contracts for one, two or three years. For the club it could also be a weight," he said. "I'm happy, I'm happy. We're working really well together. It's not that one year on the contract more or less can change the situation.
"For sure we want to continue to improve, to build something important for this club. If the idea continues to be in this way, there will be zero problems to continue my life in Tottenham because I stay well and I like this group of players and I have a good relationship with [Fabio] Paratici and with Daniel Levy."
Tottenham understand how important Conte is to leading the club forward and star players Harry Kane and Son Heung-min enjoy a close bond with the Italian. Kane has just two years left on his contract at Spurs but is understood to be open to talks over a new deal with the club as it progresses under the former Juventus and Italy boss.
The north London club are yet to hit top gear this season but are picking up results and are the Premier League's second highest scorers so far in this campaign. Conte demands ambition from his clubs and his players and the squad at Tottenham believe they are heading in the right direction.
Spurs wing-back Matt Doherty said of Conte this week: "He's changed the whole mentality of the whole club. He’s made us feel like winners. We know he’s obviously won a lot in the past and we’re kind of trying to do it. We have meetings, we have talks where afterwards you feel motivated. I remember when he first came in, we had a meeting and afterwards, you were ready to run through a wall for him. Look, he’s one of the best managers that has been around, so whatever he says, we listen to him."
He added: "He just has a lot of passion for what he does and it comes back to us in the way that we are playing and how we press. We absolutely love having him as our manager and are pretty fortunate that he is manager of the club."
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