Tottenham confirm Antonio Conte appointment

Tottenham have confirmed they have appointed Antonio Conte as their new head coach, replacing the recently sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.

Nuno was given his marching orders on Monday after a poor run of form that culminated in a 3-0 loss to Manchester United on Saturday, a side themselves seen as on the ropes after a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The atmosphere during that game turned toxic as fans called for the removal of both Nuno and chairman Daniel Levy, and talk of sporting director Fabio Paratici moving for former Inter, Chelsea and Juventus manager Conte quickly gained pace.

The Italian was close to joining the north London side during their protracted managerial search over the summer, later hinting he was not convinced by their long-term project.

However, an agreement has now been reached and Spurs have confirmed Conte has joined. Their statement reads: "We are delighted to announce the appointment of Antonio Conte as our Head Coach on a contract until the summer of 2023, with an option to extend."

Conte added: “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.”

Paratici and Conte worked together closely at Juventus. When he was once asked about Conte's potential departure from the Serie A giants, Paratici replied: “Leave us? I don’t want to speak about this. I won’t ever speak about this. He is the absolute best. I don’t want to think of a Juventus without Antonio.”

While Nuno's exit is an undeniable mark on the sporting director's early record at Tottenham, the signing of Conte is a massive coup for the Lilywhites.

The 52-year-old has turned around the fortunes of each big club he has managed to make each of Juve, Chelsea and Inter title winners, while he also enjoyed a positive spell in charge of the Italy national team.

He will be tasked with reviving a Spurs side currently ninth in the Premier League, with fixtures to come against Vitesse and Everton in the Europa Conference League and England's top flight respectively this week.

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