Antonio Conte has said that signing a new contract will not have any bearing on his future, insisting that he is happy to be working at Tottenham.
Conte’s current contract at Spurs runs until the end of the 2022/23 season but there is reportedly an option to extend the deal by another 12 months (The Times).
The Italian seemed unwilling to commit his future to the club during last season but has changed his tune during pre-season after the club backed him this summer by bringing six new players through the door.
In his press conference ahead of Spurs’ final pre-season friendly of the summer against AS Roma, Conte suggested he is prepared to build a long-term project at Spurs in order to ensure the club can compete on all fronts over the years to come (Football.London).
The Daily Mirror journalist Darren Lewis said on the Last Word On Spurs YouTube channel last week that he expects the 53-year-old to put pen to paper on a new deal at Tottenham sooner rather than later.
However, Conte has now remarked that he is not someone who needs a long-term contract, and even suggested that such a deal might put Tottenham in a disadvantageous position.
When asked about a new contract, he told Football.London: “I have to be honest. In my career, the contract was never important.
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“I didn’t need to sign contracts for one, two or three years. For the club, it could also be a weight. I’m happy, I’m happy. We’re working really well together. It’s not that one year on the contract more or less can change the situation.
“For sure we want to continue to improve, to build something important for this club. If the idea continues to be in this way, there will be zero problems to continue my life in Tottenham because I stay well and I like this group of players and I have a good relationship with Paratici and with Daniel Levy.
“I repeat that I’m not a coach who needs to sign a contract for money. I don’t need that. At this moment I don’t need this. I need to have enthusiasm and passion for this role.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I do not understand the clamour from fans for the club to offer Conte a new deal, particularly given that Spurs reportedly have an option to extend the Italian’s contract at the end of the season.
Given that Conte has never stayed at any club for more than three seasons, it would not make too much sense for Tottenham to offer him a long-term deal and potentially risk having to pay off a significant sum to the 53-year-old if they part ways before that.
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