Antonio Conte continues to swerve questions about his future at Tottenham Hotspur but admits that he and the club must match their opinions about the future in order to sate his ambition. The Spurs head coach shot down links from France between him and PSG on Friday but would not discuss next season until he has had a meeting after this campaign ends with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and the club’s managing director of football Fabio Paratici. Conte still has another year left on his contract with Spurs and has no break clause to enable him to walk away, yet pinning him down on anything beyond this season has proved to be a difficult task for the media.
Antonio Conte said: “I repeat it will be very important to understand how much time we need to fight for something important if we have the patience to wait because for sure this is a process. I always say to you that we need time and patience and we have to understand how much time we need and how much patience we have. This is the only (giggles to himself) the focus no, the focus no? We have to understand this and to understand if we can match my opinion and the club opinion. I repeat I am enjoying a lot to work here, I have a fantastic relationship with all the people who work here and with Daniel Levy our chairman and Fabio Paratici and the people who work here and for this reason it is right to at the end to have a good meeting, a private meeting, and to try to find the best solution for everybody. For sure if we are good, if we are very good to take this target [of fourth place] and it will be a great achievement for the club, for me. It would be important. Which are our ambitions for the future, it would be very important, because I think that I deserve to try to fight for and to win trophies and to fight for something important, not for only sixth or seventh, eight place, or if you have a fantastic season, fourth place. Only this, but I repeat this is my ambition and it is important to understand and fully match the ambition at the time that we need it.”
Conte has now been at Tottenham for almost seven months and it was put to him that surely he must know what the club is capable of next season already after seeing exactly how it operates and his constant conversations with Paratici and Levy.
Antonio Conte said: I know very well that in England it is not simple. First of all to flight for and try to win the title is not simple. It’s important to understand also how much time we need if our ambition is to fight to win the title. When you arrive in one place you don’t know a lot, but you can find [out]. It was very positive my impact with Tottenham when I came here because from the first day I felt myself at home and every single person gave me availability and for a coach this is the best that you can find. You have to work and bring your idea. It’s good, and but now its important to be focused and finish this season and then we will try the best possible solution for everybody.”
With Tottenham fans concerned about the lack of commitment from the coach and what that means for the club’s star players, it was suggested to Conte that him simply stating his desire to stay at Spurs would calm everyone’s fears but he simply pointed to his previous answers on the topic.
Antonio Conte added: “I think that in this moment it’s important to be focused. I’ve been asked this many times and I’ve already answered. If you go back, my answer is always the same and my answer is still the same, to have another answer is not useful for anyone. I always answered this question in the past. My opinion didn’t change, my thoughts didn’t change, my ambition didn’t change. I am the same. What I said in the past was the truth. We are trying do this season in the best possible way and then we will see. I am enjoying it a lot in Tottenham. For this reason, we will have a private meeting and we will try to find the best solution.”
Conte did state that he has been enjoying life at Tottenham and has become more settled with every passing month, working with the staff around him and the players.
Antonio Conte said: “For sure when you start to stay for a good period in a club and you understand the dynamics, you start to know much better the people that work with you, the environment, and for sure I always said that I am enjoying a lot to work in Tottenham, to stay in Tottenham, and to come to the training ground, to breath this atmosphere. I can speak only well about Tottenham, about the club. For a coach, a manager, it is a good opportunity and you can enjoy your work here.”
On whether that happiness has made him more optimistic about what his summer meeting will bring,
Antonio Conte added: “Yeah but in this moment I have to be honest with you, in this moment, our minds, me, the club and the players has to be focused on the last five games. For sure, I said to you a lot of times, at the end of the season we speak with the club but with pleasure, in a really good way. To speak and try to find the best solution for everybody. This has to be clear, this. I repeat, don’t forget I like to have ambition, not only to fight for a place in Champions League or a place in the [Europa] League. I think that, honestly, I want to fight for much more, you understand? For much more. I think also I deserve to do this.”
