ANTONIO CONTE is “definitely the man” to end Tottenham’s 14-year trophy drought and turn them into Premier League title contenders, just like Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal.
That is according to ex-Spurs ace Pascal Chimbonda who insists Conte can lead the club to its first piece of silverware since 2008, when the Frenchman was still playing and won the League Cup.
The Italian tactician has had a major impact ever since joining the North Londoners last year as he led them to a top-four finish and received substantial backing in the summer transfer window.
Chimbonda is confident the ex-Chelsea boss is bound to win a trophy with Tottenham and could even challenge for the Prem “within the next couple of seasons” like Arteta did with their local rivals.
The Spaniard joined Arsenal during a turbulent time in 2019 and needed three years to turn the tide and transform his team into serious title contenders as they are currently top of the table.
Speaking to Lord PIng, Chimbonda said: “Conte is definitely the man to help the club end its trophy drought, and I think he will want to win something within the next couple of seasons.
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“He has had a massive impact on the squad since joining Tottenham and has improved the performances of so many players, who believe in what he is doing.
“I think he can absolutely win a trophy with the club. Spurs can challenge for the title in the next couple of seasons. Look at what Arsenal are doing this season, there is no reason why Spurs can’t challenge.
“I don’t think that anyone expected Arsenal to be up there after Arteta joined them, but he has turned them into challengers and I would expect Conte to do the same in a similar amount of time.
“For Tottenham to really challenge, they need to add more quality players to their squad.
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“Our squad is not that large at the moment – we have suffered with injuries to Richarlison, Son [Heung-min] and Kulu [Dejan Kulusevski] has only just returned – we really missed these players.”
Chimbonda expects Conte to have his star striker Harry Kane for a long time as he is confident he could end his career at Tottenham.
Kane came close to an exit last year in the summer when he almost joined Manchester City but ultimately stayed put.
The ex-full-back, who made 103 appearances for Spurs, feels like it may be too late for a big move as the England captain is now 29 years old.
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The ex-France international claims former suitors Manchester United will want a different player whereas Bayern Munich are not on the lookout.
Chimbonda added: “For me, I feel that if Harry was going to leave, he should have left last season. He is 29 now and time is running out for Harry.
“We have to also think about the impact of Conte coming to the club and the influence that would have had on Kane – I’m sure he would have been excited by the appointment and would want to work with a proven winner.
“I think that the business the club did over the summer and playing in the Champions League could have convinced Harry to stay. I can see him finishing his career at Tottenham, but in football you never really know.
“I don’t think that he will join Manchester United – they will go for a different type of player – Bayern is a club that are reportedly interested, but I can’t see him playing there and [Eric Maxim] Choupo-Moting is playing well for them at the moment.
“I can see Kane retiring at Spurs, hopefully with a few trophies under his arm and a lot more goals.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
