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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Antonio Conte’s passion could spark Tottenham exit, warns Dimitar Berbatov as Spurs ‘drive you mad’

Antonio Conte could walk away from Tottenham - because the club “drives you mad”, according to Dimitar Berbatov.

The former Spurs striker has outlined why following the team is something of an exhausting experience, after they followed up a dramatic win at Manchester City with defeat at Burnley.

That Turf Moor loss has left Conte questioning his own future and Berbatov fears Conte’s public emotions at the situation could clash with Daniel Levy.

“After the comments he made following Spurs' defeat to Burnley - about whether he is the best manager for the club - I don't know if Conte will be in charge for the next match, let alone next season,” he told Betfair.

“I sympathise with him and understand where he's coming from, because I have repeatedly talked about the need for Spurs to be consistent. Losing to Burnley, four days after beating Manchester City, is a perfect example of the problem.

“Supporting Spurs can drive you f***ing mad and, as a passionate Italian, who is not used to hiding his emotions, Conte won't pretend he's happy. He is used to winning and he is one of the most ambitious managers in the game.

“All of that said, he needs to speak to Daniel Levy and see if they can solve the problem, instead of just going public. I'm not surprised by Conte's reaction to Spurs' difficulties and neither should Levy be.”

A difficult January transfer window did yield two new signings but major missed targets could still factor in Conte’s decision, Berbatov has warned.

“Conte was prepared to walk away from Chelsea and Inter when they wouldn't give him what he wanted,” noted the Bulgarian.

“He will have made clear to Spurs, before he took the job, where he believes they need to strengthen. If they missed out on transfer targets in January, that could have made the manager unhappy.

“I hope he stays at Spurs. I like watching him on the touchline and I see his comments last night as a sign of his ambition for Spurs. He isn't happy simply taking his salary. He wants to kick on and win trophies.”

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