Antonio Conte's first words as Tottenham manager

Cameron Smith

Updated: 2 Nov 2021 14:08 GMT
3 min read

Antoni Conte, Inter, 2020/21 — © ProShots

Antonio Conte has officially been confirmed as Tottenham Hotspur's new manager, taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo.

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Santo, more commonly known as simply 'Nuno', was only brought in from Wolverhampton Wanderers over the summer following the mid-season sacking of Jose Mourinho, but despite beating Manchester City on the opening day of the season, a poor run of form led to his sacking.

Conte had actually been a target for Spurs before they appointed Nuno, but a deal was unable to be agreed at the time.

With 10 games of the Premier League season gone, Spurs currently sit ninth on 15 points, so a push for a spot in the top four will be a challenge, but the board believe Conte, who led Inter to the Scudetto last season, is the right man for the job.

The Italian, who managed the national team at Euro 2016, was also linked to the Manchester United job, but Spurs struck first.

Conte, of course, has prior experience of working in London, having taken charge of Chelsea, and delivering the Premier League trophy to Stamford Bridge, and he adds to the English top flight's growing collection of world class managers.

What has Conte said?

In the official club statement regarding the appointment of Conte, the Italian spoke about the move in his first words as the manager of Tottenham.

Conte said: "I am extremely happy to return to coaching, and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist again.

"Tottenham Hotspur has state-of-the-art facilities and one of the best stadiums in the world.

"I can't wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach.

"Last summer our union did not happen because the end of my relationship with Inter was still too recent and emotionally too involved with the end of the season, so I felt that it wasn’t yet the right time to return to coaching.

"But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of Daniel Levy in wanting to entrust me with this task had already hit the mark. Now that the opportunity has returned, I have chosen to take it with great conviction."

Conte's first game in charge of the club will come in the Europa Conference League against Vitesse on Thursday, before he sits in a Premier League dugout away to Everton on Sunday.

A new era at Tottenham has begun.