Harry Kane may have Antonio Conte fears as Premier League return poses Tottenham problem

Antonio Conte: In profile

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Antonio Conte’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur has given the entire club a lift – but club talisman Harry Kane could have some reservations over linking up with the unforgiving Italian boss.

Conte has been a serial winner during spells at Chelsea and Inter Milan over the past few years and has won the league at each of his previous three clubs.

But whilst many feel that Conte is exactly what Kane needs to reinvigorate himself after a poor start to the season, and Conte certainly has form for helping strikers rediscover their scoring touch.

Under his stewardship last year, Romelu Lukaku established himself as one of the world’s best strikers after a miserable spell in England.

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The Belgian striker fired a stunning 24 goals in 36 games as Inter surged to the Serie A title.

Lukaku’s transformation under Conte even paved the way for him to seal his dream move back to Chelsea this summer in a club-record £97.5million deal.

Although Lukaku’s revival under Conte was impressive, Kane should bear in mind that the 52-year-old didn’t manage to have a similar effect on Diego Costa during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Costa was a controversial figure at Stamford Bridge despite plundering 20 league goals in two of his three seasons in the Premier League.

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The Spanish international was a pivotal player for Conte as his side marched to a record-breaking Premier League title win back in the 2016/17 season after racking up a staggering 30 league wins.

However, with Costa making no secret of his desire to leave the club during that title-winning season, Conte ruthlessly axed him during the summer break.

The similarities between Kane’s current situation and Costa’s previous one certainly won’t be lost on the England star.

Although he may deny it, it’s pretty clear that Kane’s desire to depart north London has impacted his performances on the pitch, with the 28-year-old looking a shadow of his former self.

Kane has managed just one Premier League goal in nine games this term – a pitiful return for a player of his quality.

According to Football.London, Kane is excited at the prospect of working with Conte.

But he’ll be more than aware of the rigorous demands that Conte makes of his teams.

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And whilst Kane will want to follow in the footsteps of Lukaku, who was rejuvenated after a short spell with Conte, there are no guarantees that he won’t end up struggling and falling out with Conte as Costa did.

From Conte’s point of view, helping Kane turn around his poor form will be one of his top priorities as he bids to quickly steady the ship at Spurs before setting course for an assault on the top-four.

Conte’s demanding management style could be exactly the jolt in the arm that Kane needs to rediscover his top form – something which could also entice him into considering an extended stay at the club.

But if it’s not, then Kane could have bigger concerns than he originally thought a few months ago.

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