Conte will be given £150m transfer war chest by Tottenham
Antonio Conte will be given a £150 million transfer war chest to revive Tottenham.
The Italian, 52, is in advanced talks with Spurs over an 18-month deal worth £15m a year after they sacked boss Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday.
Ex-Chelsea chief Conte snubbed the chance to take over the North Londoners in the summer as he claimed they were not ambitious enough.
But Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, backed by billionaire owner Joe Lewis, has performed a stunning U-turn by offering Conte a huge contract equivalent to £290,000 a week — plus heavy backing in the transfer market.
Levy is desperate for a turnaround after his decision to employ Nuno as a cheap stop-gap backfired — and he now faces having to pay in excess of £5m to get rid of him.
The Portuguese was axed after Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Manchester United which saw him and his players booed off.
Nuno, 47, becomes the shortest-serving Spurs manager in the Prem era, lasting just 124 days and ten league games.
Spurs managing director of football Fabio Paratici said: “I regret we have had to take this decision.
read also:Aguero under observation for three months after he’s diagnosed with heart problem
“I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed. Nuno’s a true gentleman and will always be welcome here.”
Tottenham ended a 72-day wait to find Jose Mourinho’s successor by appointing Nuno on a two-year contract in June.
But after starting with three Prem wins, things soured with poor results and negative football.
Conte, one of several bosses targeted ahead of Nuno, jetted into London for talks with Levy and pal Paratici, who he worked with at Juventus.
Ex-Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe and former Roma chief Paulo Fonseca were also on Spurs’ radar.