Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has said there is a “bad habit” in English football of club executives choosing not to speak out and urged the club’s hierarchy to publicly explain the club’s strategy.

Spurs are facing renewed questions over their future direction after losing Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal to fall five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.

The dramatic nature of the Arsenal’s rise to the top of the Premier League, combined with a trophy drought dating back to 2008 and a lack of tangible progress this season, has increased scrutiny on Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and owners ENIC over their running of the club.

In a sign of growing dissent, significant sections of Spurs fans have chanted “We want Levy out” at recent matches. Levy rarely gives media interviews, choosing instead to communicate directly with supporters twice a season: in a chairman’s message before the last home game of every season and in a statement issued alongside the club’s annual accounts.

Managing director of football Fabio Paratici regularly spoke publicly during his time in a similar role at Juventus but has held just one press conference since joining Spurs in June 2021.