LONDON: Tottenham on Tuesday appointed former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte as their new manager following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo after an ill-fated four-month reign.
Spurs moved quickly to hire the Italian, who has signed a contract until the “summer of 2023” after on Monday firing ex-Wolves boss Nuno, who was in charge for just 17 games.
Conte, who has also coached Juventus and Italy, won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016/17 and the FA Cup the following year before he was sacked by the Stamford Bridge club.
The 52-year-old had been out of work since leaving Inter at the end of last season just weeks after winning the Serie A title — his fourth Italian league triumph as a manager.
“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,” Spurs said in a statement.
“Antonio has won titles in Serie A, including a hat-trick of Scudettos with Juventus, the Premier League and also managed Italy, leading the Azzurri to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.”
Conte had been in advanced talks with Spurs in June about becoming Jose Mourinho’s successor but they broke down after the two parties were at odds over key issues.
However, director of football Fabio Paratici is now in position at Tottenham and has a strong relationship with Conte, having worked with him at Juventus.
“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,” said Conte.
“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.”
The Italian said he was delighted the opportunity to manage Tottenham had returned.
“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,” he said.
“But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of (chairman) 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.”
Tottenham topped the Premier League table after three wins at the start of the season but the team are currently languishing in ninth position in the table after losing five of their past seven league games.
The Italian, who is expected to be given funds in January to strengthen the squad, is due to take training on Tuesday.
Conte’s first game will be at home against Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League on Thursday before Spurs play at Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
Paratici said Conte’s record “speaks for himself,” referring to his vast experience and trophy-winning pedigree.
“I know first-hand the qualities Antonio can bring to us, having worked with him at Juventus, and look forward to seeing his work with our talented group of players,” he said.
But Conte has a tough task on his hands to make Spurs leading contenders again.
The club, who have not won silverware since 2008, reached the Champions League final as recently as 2019 under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is now in charge of Paris Saint-Germain.
But they have lost their way since then and have missed out on the Champions League for two consecutive seasons.
Conte will be tasked with ensuring Tottenham play more adventurous football than the dour fare served up by the tactically conservative Nuno.
He will also have to get the best out of England captain Harry Kane, who has struggled to hit top form since his attempt to engineer a move to Manchester City was rebuffed by Levy.
Tottenham Hotspur appoint serial winner Antonio Conte as new manager
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Tottenham Hotspur appoint serial winner Antonio Conte as new manager
- Conte, who has also coached Juventus and Italy, won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016/17 and the FA Cup the following year before he was sacked by the Stamford Bridge club
- Conte had been in advanced talks with Spurs in June about becoming Jose Mourinho’s successor but they broke down after the two parties were at odds over key issues
Al-Ittihad slump to fourth defeat of season in home loss to Al-Ettifaq
- Visitors’ Khalid Al-Ghannam scores only goal of the game as the reigning Saudi Pro League champs drop more points after drawing with Damac on Tuesday
- Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak ends with 1-1 draw against Al-Najma, and Al-Khaleej enjoy comfortable 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad’s disappointing defense of their Saudi Pro League title continued on Friday with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Al-Ettifaq.
Khalid Al-Ghannam scored the decisive goal for the visitors as the hosts dropped more points after their draw with Damac on Tuesday.
In the absence of Fabinho, who was suspended after being sent off late in Tuesday’s match, Mahamadou Doumbia partnered with N’golo Kante in midfield for Al-Ittihad. The Malian showed his composure early on when he shielded the ball under pressure before unleashing a long-range shot in the 10th minute, but it was comfortably saved by Marek Rodak.
The deployment of Al-Ghannam proved pivotal, as he repeatedly tested the hosts. In the 23rd minute he burst down the left flank, beating three defenders with some clever dribbling before testing Predrag Rajkovic in goal, who parried the effort.
Al-Ghannam bothered the defense again just minutes later, threatening the Serbian goalkeeper with another attempt from a similar position. However, the game remained goalless at halftime.
The second half began with Al-Ittihad on the front foot. Within minutes, Roger Fernandes found himself in front of goal and put the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Al-Ghannam’s effort and influence eventually paid off for the visitors in the 54th minute. Operating as a left-sided striker during an Al-Ettifaq counterattack, he cut inside to curl a powerful shot into the far corner.
Al-Ittihad’s attacking approach varied as they fought to get back into the game, with Fernandes patrolling the left flank, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti cutting inside near the byline, and central contributions from the combination of Doumbia and Steven Bergwijn. But the Al-Ettifaq defense remained resolute.
Danilo Pereira, pushing up into an advanced midfield position as Al-Ittihad forced Al-Ettifaq to defend deep, unleashed a long shot in the 67th minute, urged on by the home fans, but his effort went wide.
With time running out, Sergio Conceicao made four substitutions in the space of seven minutes, bringing on Ahmed Al-Julaydan at right-back for his crossing abilities, Abdulaziz Al-Bishi and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi to play between the lines, and Saleh Al-Shehri for added impetus up front.
Despite several chances, Al-Ittihad were unable to grab the equalizer, and in the 85th minute things got even worse for them. Keeper Rajkovic tripped on his way to confront a Mohau Nkota counterattack and stuck out his hand at the edge of the box to push the ball away. A review by the video assistant referee ruled he had handled the ball outside the box and he was shown the red card.
After seven minutes of added time, and one final attempt by Doumbia to salvage something for the hosts through a free-kick, the referee blew the final whistle.
It was the fourth defeat of the season for Al-Ittihad and means they remain in sixth place in the table, three behind Al-Qadsiah who have a game in hand. Al-Ettifaq are seventh, just two points behind the defending champions.
Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak came to an end when they returned from a trip to Qassim to face Al-Najma with only a point. The visitors took the lead in the 12th minute but a goal for the home side by Ali Jasim in the 75th denied them all three points as the game ended 1-1.
In the Eastern Province, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis proved the main inspirations for Al-Khaleej in a 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood that temporarily lifted them into seventh place in the table, until Al-Ettifaq reclaimed the spot.
On Saturday, Al-Fayha face Damac, Al-Kholood take on fourth-place Al-Ahli, and second-place Al-Nassr are in action against Al-Shabab.
