Antonio Conte: Tottenham appoint ex-Chelsea boss on 18-month deal
Tottenham have appointed former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte as their new head coach on an 18-month contract.
Spurs moved quickly to him after firing Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday morning.
Conte left Inter Milan in the summer despite delivering the 2020/21 Serie A title and reaching a Europa League final during two years at the club.
The Italian won the Premier League and FA Cup at Chelsea between 2016 and 2018, and three Serie A titles as Juventus head coach. He was also Italy coach between 2014 and 2016.
Second time lucky for Levy
Conte had previously 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, managing director Fabio Paratici is now in position at the Premier League club and has a strong relationship with the 52-year-old, having worked with him at Juventus.
And those differences have now been overcome, with chairman Daniel Levy looking to the serial winner to turn Spurs back into a force in English football.
“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 told the club website.
📜🏴 Antonio Conte's Chelsea in their 16/17 title winning season:
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) November 2, 2021
‣ 30 wins
‣ 3 draws
‣ 5 defeats
‣ 85 scored (63.7 xGF)
‣ 33 conceded (33.2 xGA)
‣ 7 point winning margin
‣ Top scorer: Diego Costa - 20 ⚽️ (16.67 xG), 7 🅰️ (4.08 xA)
🥈 FA Cup runners up
👑 #THFC | #CFC pic.twitter.com/O02ITjup1K
“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.”
Nuno never got going
Nuno saw his odds in the sack race, or next Premier League manager to leave, market slashed after Spurs' 3-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday.
They failed to muster a single shot on target in an abject performance in north London.
It was the team’s fifth defeat in 10 Premier League games this season, during which they have scored just nine times.
🏆📉 From title contenders under Pochettino to mid-table mediocrity.
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) November 1, 2021
📊 Here's how the rolling xG stats have significantly dipped for Tottenham over the past three years. Who is the right manager to revive their fortunes?#THFC pic.twitter.com/Zja88pSr2d
Nuno was promptly dismissed just 36 hours later.
Spurs did win their first three matches of the campaign, but all three were 1-0 victories in which they lost the expected goals (xG) battle.
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