Tottenham, Conte raises the bar of ambitions: “I would like to win the title, but …”

He thought about it for a while, but in the end deciding to stay was easy. “We had just started with our project, after all I had signed a two-year contract”. Antonio Conte, returning from his tour in South Korea, explains why he decided to stay at Tottenham, to continue shaping the image and likeness of the team that took him to the brink in November and that led to qualification. in the Champions League. And that now, after a transfer campaign that the 52-year-old coach has approved in every single piece (including the latest addition, the 21-year-old defender Djed Spence, proposed by the club), he wants to go back to winning. “I would like to win the Premier, but here it is more difficult than in Italy …”.

THE DECISION

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“When I spoke with the owners it was easy to decide – says Conte -. When I arrived I was told that they wanted to reach important goals, even if in November it was difficult to think that we would finish in the Champions League. Now we want to continue to grow, to improve together and to have ambitions. When I talked to them, I realized that there was the same desire on the part of the management to build something important as I had ”. Conte also goes back on his first steps at Tottenham: “It was important in January to take on players like Bentancur and Kulusevksi, they helped us a lot – he recalls -. When I arrived in November, I said that if we wanted to move up in the rankings we had to work together to improve the team but also that the players had to level up. And they did it ”.

THE MARKET

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In this new season there is another level to rise to. This is why it was important that the purchases were made in a timely manner to allow Conte to work with them immediately. “We have improved, there is no doubt – he explains -. Many have told me they are surprised by the speed of our movements, but when you know what to do, everything is easier: on the market you always try not to throw your money but to invest it, which is what we did. And Fabio Paratici is helping in just that. We worked very well, but now we need a little patience ”.

THE GAP

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Also because, in order to level up, there is a gap to be bridged with those in front. “We have improved, but those in front of us have also improved. City and Liverpool have been competing for the title for six years: the last to win was Chelsea when I was there, then it has always been Manchester and Liverpool, Liverpool and Manchester. Last year they finished 20 points more than us, and Chelsea also finished ahead of us. And they have all spent a lot of money on the transfer market, even if it is normal because in England the level is very high and you are not the only one who thinks about winning ”.

PREMIER

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Conte, who says he is happy at Tottenham, aims high but with realism. “Obviously I want to win the title, but I also have to be honest,” he says, before launching into a comparison with his years at Inter. “When I arrived at Inter, Juventus had over the years created a stable gap of at least 20 points in the standings. In my first year we worked to reduce it and in the second season we won. In Serie A, however, there was only one team to overcome, here there are many, not just Liverpool and City. Chelsea in 2021 won the Champions League and this year the Club World Cup. And we must not forget about United and Arsenal, who have spent a lot on the transfer market. It will be a difficult season, but at the same time exciting. We have to push ourselves beyond our limits and improve: it’s the only way to be truly competitive ”.