Roy Keane hints at a potentially difficult summer for Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur if the Lily Whites fail to eclipse both Manchester United and Arsenal to the final Champions League spot.
On the most recent Overlap Live, the former Manchester United captain, alongside both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, highlighted the success of Tottenham’s January business as Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur hit the ground running. Yet, if Spurs fail to secure Champions League football then the recruitment process becomes much harder, even if they do have one of the better managers in world football.
Antonio Conte is and will likely remain a huge pull for players, whether Spurs are in the Champions League or not. However, if Conte is not sufficiently backed, then the Italian’s track record of abruptly leaving clubs may continue.
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Roy Keane believes that Spurs failing to secure Champions League football would be a major issue, as he stated "At least if you do finish fourth you’re in with a fight of getting that recruitment right… “The real top players will not want to go to a team that are not in the Champions League.”
Tottenham Hotspur are balancing on the precipice of a potentially unstable future. Failing to secure Champions League football could spell the end of Harry Kane’s time at the club. Equally, if Antonio Conte does leave, then Spurs are staring at yet further uncertainty.
Currently one point above Manchester United and three behind Arsenal who have a game in hand, the final stages of the Premier League are set to be a fierce battle with three teams all fighting for one position.
With Harry Kane resurging back into form, Arsenal continuing to maintain a level of consistency, and Manchester United still being the most predictably unpredictable club in the league, Spurs have a genuine chance of exceeding this season’s expectations.
Nonetheless, if Spurs fail to secure Champions League football, then Roy Keane’s scepticism could come to fruition.
