Tottenham Hotspur coach Antonio Conte hopes he and the club ‘can work together for a long time’ despite only signing an 18-month contract and knows he must turn Spurs into a winning team to keep stars like Harry Kane at the club.
The new Spurs coach opened with an intense match against Vitesse in the UEFA Conference League and spoke to the press ahead of the match against Everton.
Conte was asked about Kane and the England striker’s situation at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the goalscorer was linked with a big-money departure from the Lilywhites over the summer.
The former Inter and Juventus coach stressed he can see the ambition of the striker and explained he will have to work to improve all the players in the squad, not just the centre-forward.
“Yes, we’re talking about an important player not only for Tottenham, but also for the national team,” Conte said at a press conference.
“Harry is a really good player and for sure we have to work with him but with all the players to improve this situation. I’ve seen in a few days that we need to work a lot to improve many aspects – for every single player. Not just one, two or three.
“We have to work together, and the players must know very well that we have to work a lot. If we want to win something important for the present or the future, we must be all together, be focused and show the desire to work all together inside to improve the situation. But we’re ready.”
He was asked if he can be the one to help keep Kane at Tottenham for the rest of his career.
“Winning doesn’t happen after one, two, three days, one month, two months. You must have vision. I think this club had a great vision outside of the pitch. Now I think we have to start to have a vision also on the pitch, on the football topic. I think this is important if we want to win.”
The club has showed that they’re working very well with the stadium, with the training ground. Now I think that we need time. Time and ambition. Only if you have ambition in football, you can start to build something important for the present, for the future. I think now, I repeat: the club took this choice, and I am pleased, I am honoured, about this choice. But at the same time, I know I will need time to work, to change something here, on the pitch. Because outside, it’s fantastic, it’s great. maybe too much.
Conte signed a deal until June 2023, thus expiring after only 18 months, and the press asked why he would not commit his long-term future to the club from North London.
“I think my contract is not a problem. 18 months and we decided,” he said. “I also understood the sacrifices this club did for me.
“It’s OK but I think that the best things for us is to work together with the players, with the club and to understand that we can work together for a long time. I hope so.
“Because I think this club if you want to work, you can work. You have a fantastic training ground, and the club gives you everything – if we ask for something to improve the situation of the players.
“At the same time, I know that we need to have patience. I’m the first person that needs to have have patience. When you work with a team again. Especially at the start of the season, you have one month to introduce yourself and your staff to the players.
“To go into the job during the season is not simple. But the contract is OK for me, and my hope is to find the right condition with this club for a long time, for sure.”
Conte worked with managing director Fabio Paratici at Juventus and the two Italians reunite in London.
But the 52-year-old, who has won four Scudetti, the Premier League and the FA Cup during his career as a coach, said he has not set any immediate targets with the directors.
“Now to tell that we have a specific target is not simple. I think the club is the same. Paratici knows very well this is the situation. I think now it’s not good or not fair to say we want to do this or reach this,” Conte said.
“At the moment we’ve only to be strong, to start to work together and think that we need to improve. And there’s a lot of space for improvement in this team. But now, and more than in the past, after three or four days, we need to work more, more, more.”
Think he found the perfect fit. Not sure how compatible him and paratici will be but he’ll win something important for sure.
Can Football Italia please stop with these Premier League articles – this should be a Serie A forum, not EPL forum – they already get too much publicity. Conte has left the Serie A so why do we need to keep talking about him and his new job in England???
Holy Shizz, only 18 months, and that too from a lowly club like Tottenham?
That’s the biggest insult you can get. Tottenham are already looking to a future without Conte.
What a bunch of ‘tards both Conte and of course Tottenham are.