Antonio Conte sends a warning to Tottenham amid sacking concerns

Antonio Conte has warned Tottenham that clubs tend to regret letting him leave.

With Spurs 14 points off leaders Arsenal, the manager is under mounting scrutiny with some questioning whether his heart remains in north London.

After a traumatic few months, which has seen the death of three of his close friends, the Italian admitted he is reflecting on his priorities and future in coaching.

Antonio Conte urged on Wednesday that Tottenham would regret axing him from the Spurs job

But, ahead of tonight’s trip to Manchester City, he hit back at any concerns over his commitment to Tottenham.  

‘I don’t read this and I don’t hear this, but the people who know me would not tell you that I am bad coach,’ Conte said. 

‘None of the clubs where I have worked have been unhappy about my commitment and what I have given them. 

‘Usually when I leave, the club regret it a lot because they saw the way I worked and the commitment I put in. In this aspect I am really happy for the way that I am.’

Tottenham suffered a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday evening

Conte added: ‘I give everything for the club. Not only for Tottenham — for Inter, for Juventus, for every club where I was the coach. It is normal that when I finish the day I am tired because I work a lot for the club. And for this reason they want me to stay for a long period.’

Conte’s contract runs until the end of the season, though Tottenham have the option to extend it for another year.

Conte insisted he was not viewed as a bad coach among ‘people who knew him’ (seen above with managing director Fabio Paratici)

It has been a difficult few months for the Italian, with the deaths of fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone in October, Sinisa Mihajlovic in December and Gianluca Vialli this month. All three were dear friends, none was older than 61.

Conte, 53, opened up on how it has affected him. ‘This is a difficult season from a personal aspect,’ he said. ‘When this situation happens it brings you to have important reflections.

‘Many times we give a lot of importance to our work and we forget 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.

‘When work is at the top of your mind maybe we forget to stay with family and friends, we forget to spend time with friends. This is our passion and for that we lose a lot of things.

Spurs travel to the Etihad Stadium to face reigning champions Manchester City on Thursday

‘When this happens you start to think that maybe it is also good to give more time to your family and friends and also to yourself. Work is not everything in life.’

The fact that Conte’s family remain in Italy only makes life harder.

‘I don’t want to affect the life of my family,’ he said. ‘Sometimes it is important to make decisions to sacrifice and stay.

‘But I have a family who try to support me and come here at every moment that they can. But the situation becomes more difficult when things happen, like with Gianluca, Gian Piero and Sinisa.’