WHAT HAPPENED? Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent after a 3-3 draw against the Premier League’s bottom club Southampton on March 18. After the draw, which saw them blow a 3-1 lead, he delivered a furious post-match press conference where he targeted owner Daniel Levy, the players and the club’s trophy haul. However, he still seems to have much fury left in him as he took a veiled dig at the north-London club for not being ambitious enough.
WHAT THEY SAID: “The last experience, like all of them really, had some things that were positive and some less so,” he stated at an awards ceremony in Arezzo on Tuesday. “The experience was wonderful, we did the maximum possible and gave all that we had. When I arrived, the team was in eighth or ninth place, yet we qualified for the Champions League. Then this season, with the side in fourth position, I decided we should part ways with Tottenham. Some had decided to settle for less.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: However, Conte, who is set to turn 60 in July, also insisted that he still has the fire in his belly to manage a top side and remains open for opportunities in Italy and abroad.
“I still have the desire to coach, that passion never goes,” he added. “If it did, I would have to look inside myself and think that it was no longer right to continue doing this profession. Having said that, I am also not spasmodically searching for a new job. If something important and serious came along, that gave me motivation, then I would give it consideration, in Italy or abroad.”
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Conte’s departure did not help Tottenham, as they missed out on a European berth and finished eighth in the Premier League. The Italian remains a free agent, while Spurs have appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach on a four-year contract.