"They might sack me" - Antonio Conte makes brutally honest claim on Tottenham future after UCL elimination
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has opened up about his future at the club following their elimination from the UEFA Champions League.
Spurs played out a goalless draw at home against AC Milan in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on March 8. They bowed out of the competition after a 1-0 reverse on aggregate, having lost the first leg at the San Siro last month.
The result comes after a miserable week for Spurs, who were also eliminated in the Round of 16 of the FA Cup after losing 1-0 against Sheffield United. They then lost by the same margin against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League before drawing against AC Milan.
Speaking after the game, Conte acknowledged the disappointment and spoke about his Tottenham future to Prime Italia, saying:
“I’m under contract at Tottenham, then we will decide at the end of the season with the club. My contract expires in June, we will see— they might sack me even before the end of the season, who knows, maybe they are disappointed.”
Conte: “I’m under contract at Tottenham, then we will decide at the end of the season with the club”
“My contract expires in June, we will see— they might sack me even before the end of the season, who knows, maybe they are disappointed”
Prime Italia via @FabrizioRomano
Conte was appointed Tottenham manager in November 2021 following Nuno Espirito Santo's sacking. He led them to a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season.
However, following a busy summer transfer window, the ongoing campaign has not gone to plan.
While they are fourth in the league table this season as well, they have played a game more than Liverpool in fifth and two more than sixth-placed Newcastle United. Spurs have also been eliminated from all cup competitions, extending their trophy drought to 16 years.
Antonio Conte points to AC Milan's history after Tottenham's UCL exit
After the defeat on Wednesday, Conte claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are still not at the level that was perhaps needed to beat AC Milan. He pointed to the history of both clubs, saying (via Football Italia):
“This is a team that certainly needs to work a great deal to become competitive at a high level. In my view, there’s a long way to go. I have been here for 14 months, let’s not forget that last season we went out in the [UEFA Europa] Conference League group phase.
“So this is certainly a step forward, we were paired with the Champions of Italy in Milan, whereas Tottenham have not won anything for a very long time.”
He added:
“In terms of history, these two clubs are on totally different levels. Milan won the Serie A title last season, whereas we scraped through by a miracle going from ninth place to fourth.
“You need to go through the process, you can’t take short cuts. If people think 13-14 months is enough to become competitive, then they are completely wrong. Today the players worked hard, they needed to be more decisive in attack.”
Full-time. https://t.co/rIE9dEIbcr
AC Milan are currently fifth in the Serie A table, a whopping 18 points behind leaders S.S.C. Napoli.