Antonio Conte named new Tottenham Hotspur coach
By Aleks Klosok, CNN
Antonio Conte has been named as Tottenham Hotspur’s new coach on a contract until the summer of 2023 with the option to extend, the North London club announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The Italian’s appointment comes just a day after Spurs dispensed with the services of Nuno Espírito Santo.
Conte is Tottenham’s fourth permanent manager in the last three years following the dismissal of Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019.
“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,” Conte said in a club statement.
“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 52-year-old returns to the English Premier League having spent two seasons in England with Tottenham’s London rivals Chelsea.
Conte led Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2017 and the FA Cup in 2018 before he was sacked in July 2018.
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‘His track record speaks for itself’
After almost a year out of the game, he returned to club management in May 2019 when he was appointed as Head Coach of Serie A giants Inter Milan.
The Italian guided Inter to their first league title in over a decade last season — and in the process, ended his former club Juventus’ run of nine consecutive titles — before leaving the club in May this year.
“His track record speaks for itself, with vast experience and trophies in both Italy and England,” said Fabio Paratici, Tottenham’s managing director of football.
“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.”
Conte, a former Juve and Italy midfielder, spent 13 years at the club, winning a whole array of trophies, including five Italian Serie A titles and a UEFA Champions League.
He began coaching The Old Lady in 2011 and would go on to lead the side to five trophies in the space of three years before further success followed with Chelsea and Inter Milan.
Conte takes over a Tottenham Hotspur side languishing in eighth place in the table, 10 points off current leaders Chelsea.
Tottenham’s next game is on Thursday when they host Vitesse Arnhem in the UEFA Europa Conference League. It’s unclear at this stage whether Conte will be in dugout for the encounter.
The-CNN-Wire
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