Son Heung-min has admitted that he did not think finishing in the top four would be a realistic objective for Tottenham when Antonio Conte arrived at the club.
Spurs were not scoring goals while also struggling to keep them out at the other end when Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm at the start of November.
However, the Italian immediately started to get the best out of a misfiring Harry Kane and tightened Spurs up at the back.
Tottenham strengthened their starting eleven with the acquisition of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski during the January transfer window, and in the end, deservedly ended up pipping Arsenal to a fourth-place finish.
Conte is now expected to be backed by the Lilywhites in this summer’s transfer window, with the Italian looking to build a squad that can challenge for top honours next season (Football.London).
Son has admitted that Tottenham managing to get into the Champions League after a two-year absence was down to the 52-year-old’s appointment.
The forward told South Korean station TV Chosun: “We talked about this a lot, but before Conte came, I didn’t even think about whether we could compete in the Champions League. I couldn’t.
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“But when the coach came, he held on to the players and filled in the gaps, and I think it was really good to be able to go to the Champions League.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I believe Tottenham securing fourth place at Arsenal’s expense will have huge repercussions for both clubs moving forward. It has not only ensured that Conte stays and builds on the foundation he has created at Spurs but has also set Arsenal back considerably, with the Gunners blowing a great chance to get into the top four.
This means that Arsenal will not be able to attract top-quality players this summer and it will only get progressively harder for them to get back into the Champions League over the coming years, with the likes of Man Utd and Newcastle also set to invest into their squads.
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