Tottenham: Antonio Conte hints he’ll quit Spurs as Italian feels strain of recent deaths | Football | Sport

Antonio Conte has hinted darkly that his latest stint in England may be drawing to a close. The Tottenham manager has a year-long extension clause to his current deal which expires in the summer.

But the loss of three close friends in recent months is making him re-evaluate the importance of being nearer to his family in Italy. With daughter Vittoria studying for exams, wife Elisabetta remained behind in Rome to help her with her education and Conte flies back and forth whenever possible.

However, the recent losses of his Tottenham fitness coach and two former team-mates – one for club, one for country – have led to him reevaluating his life completely.

“For sure this season is a difficult season from a personal aspect,” he said. “Because to lose in such a short time three people that I knew very well because before Gian Piero Ventrone, then Sinisa Mihajlovic and now Gianluca Vialli.

“It was not simple. Because many times we think and we give a lot of importance to our work and we forget the family, we forget that we need to have more time for us. For sure, this season is making me have an important reflection on my future.

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“The people who know me can say, I could not be a good coach without commitment,” Conte said. “No club where I have worked has ever been unhappy with what I have given them. Usually when I left the club they regretted it a lot, because they knew the commitment I put into the club.

“I put pressure on every game because I want to win. If my team is going to play with a team at the bottom of the table or in first place, I put the same pressure, because for me the pressure is a positive.

“The pressure allows me to give 100 per cent. If I’m relaxed and I don’t have energy, it’s not a good signal for myself. For this reason, in every game I put pressure on myself to try to find a great energy.”

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