LONDON – Antonio Conte has warned Tottenham he could quit if he no longer enjoys the challenge of trying to turn the club into serious challengers for major trophies.
Conte has been a domestic league title winner with Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Juventus.
The 53-year-old led Tottenham to an impressive fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season, an achievement he dubbed a “miracle” after he arrived to find the club in turmoil in late 2021.
But Conte has repeatedly spoken about the need for patience as he tries to build the foundations for sustained success at a club who last won a trophy in 2008.
Tottenham’s inconsistent form this term has raised concerns the Italian might not stick around if he does not get the backing he wants from chairman Daniel Levy to upgrade his squad in the transfer market.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Crystal Palace, Conte, who is out of contract at the end of the season, made it clear he knows the size of the task facing him at Tottenham.
“Here, I understood that my task is different. My task here is to help the club, to build a solid foundation, to create a base and then to try to improve,” he said.
“If you ask me: ‘The challenge for you is to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League’, this is not the task here in this moment.
“The task for me is to help the club I found. I signed a contract in November 2021 when I found the club in a difficult position for many reasons.
“Now my task, I understood it very well, is to try to help the club go in the right direction.
“Now this is my big challenge here. Now if I want to stay here, then I have to accept this. Otherwise, if I don’t want to accept this then I have to go.”
Pressed on how long he would give the Tottenham project, Conte accepted there might come a time when he wants to leave north London.
“At the start for me it wasn’t easy. This is an important experience. I accepted to do this because I found a great club, a modern club and for this reason I’m happy to work here,” Conte said.
“My big challenge is this. To continue to work so strongly with my staff and the players, to improve the club, to create a solid foundation.
“If I am satisfied to continue to do this work and to one day see the result I will continue to stay, if I’m not convinced 100% then I can leave my work here.” – AFP, January 4, 2023
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