Tottenham have been warned that the impending expiration of Antonio Conte's contract could also see them lose Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.
Conte's deal is up at the end of the current campaign, with no sign yet that the Italian will extend his stay in north London. Spurs have improved under his management, with the club well-placed to secure Champions League football for a second successive year.
Recent games have been disappointing though, with Spurs losing to Manchester United and Newcastle in their last two outings. As a result of that poor run, there are now concerns that Conte's management style could affect Spurs after his possible departure in the summer.
Kane's contract expires in the summer of 2024, with Son's up for renewal the following year. But with Conte potentially leaving in as soon as eight months, former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood fears that neither will sign a new deal if the Italian does indeed depart.
"They can take teams apart, but the bottom teams. If they're going to get into the top four, they need to win their head to heads. They got outplayed in the North London derby, they went to Chelsea, scored in the 96th minute getting outplayed," he told Sky Sports.
"Another difficult game was West Ham and they drew that game. Got beat at Old Trafford. They beat the teams you would expect them to beat. We know it's a difficult league, you've got to take maximum points. But to do that they need to win the head to heads and take the shackles off.
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"Let's face it, he only has until the end of the season. I mean he's not signed a new contract. You are asking Harry Kane and Son to extend their contracts, why would you extend your contract? If you believe in this manager if your manager is going to be there until the end of the season.
"You have to make a decision on him, very soon. There is speculation of him going back to Italy. He is lauded in Italy for the style of how he wants to play. This year he has to win, if he doesn't win this year, then he will leave."
The fears that Kane could leave Tottenham have only been reignited after Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic hailed the England skipper. While he insisted that Bayern were not planning any January moves, it is clear they hold Kane in high admiration.
"He is one of the best players in the world. But we are not talking about players who are under contract with other clubs. We’ve done a lot this summer and I think we’re very well prepared for the whole season. We won’t be active on the transfer market in winter," he told Bild TV.
Tottenham will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat by Newcastle when Sporting Lisbon visit in the Champions League on Wednesday. Spurs could secure their passage into the knockout stages if they win and Marseille beat Eintracht Frankfurt.
