Nuno sacked by Tottenham after fifth Premier League defeat of the season
Tottenham have a plan in place to prevent chairman Daniel Levy and potential new boss Antonio Conte falling out, according to reports. Spurs are supposedly set to appoint former Chelsea boss Conte after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nuno was dismissed after overseeing several disappointing results. His fate was sealed by the dismal 3-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday.
Spurs failed to have a shot on target in the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium despite having Harry Kane and Heung-min Son on the pitch.
The North Londoners actually attempted to appoint Conte in the summer before landing Nuno.
Chairman Daniel Levy sacked Jose Mourinho in April and former midfielder Ryan Mason stepped in to oversee the first team for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
A chaotic recruitment process saw Spurs go close to appointing three different coaches on separate occasions, including Conte.
Tottenham hope Antonio Conte and Daniel Levy will maintain a good relationship (Image: GETTY)
Talks are believed to have broken down with the two parties failing to agree terms. Spurs went on to speak to Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso before eventually choosing Nuno.
But it is now hoped that there will be no disagreements between Conte and Levy should the Italian be appointed.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Spurs hope that the presence of managing director of football Fabio Paratici will act as a buffer between Conte and Levy.
The 52-year-old former Italy head coach is known to be a ‘combustible’ character who does not shirk confrontation.
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But he is known to be close with Paratici, and is likely to spend much more time talking to him than the notoriously difficult Levy.
Several of Conte's former players have spoken of his strict demands.
Paratici, who was appointed in the summer, worked with Conte at Juventus. Juve won Serie A in each of Conte’s three seasons.
Should he be appointed, Conte faces a major task turning around the club’s form.
Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Tottenham on Monday (Image: GETTY)
Spurs are eighth in the top-flight having already lost five matches. It seems ages ago that Nuno oversaw a fantastic opening three matches as his side topped the table prior to the September international break.
Conte also finds Spurs desperately battling to progress from their Europa Conference League group.
The North Londoners were one of the favourites to win the tournament at the start of the season but an embarrassing defeat versus Vitesse has dealt their hopes a blow.