LONDON - In the clearest indication that his future lies in north London, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte branded rumours linking him to French champions Paris Saint-Germain as "fake news" on Friday (April 29).
The 52-year-old Italian, who has been the subject of intense speculation with Mauricio Pochettino mooted to move the other way, was addressing a room of about 20 print and broadcast journalists at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre in Enfield ahead of Sunday's English Premier League match against Leicester City.
When asked if he would be back at the sprawling facility that features 20 full-size pitches for the senior men's and women's team as well as the academy next season, he said: "It's good that other clubs appreciate my work, but I don't like it when people try to invent news only to create problems.
"This is not right for me, for the clubs involved, for the players because we are really focused in these five games to try to get a fantastic result for us. This type of situation makes me smile."
Maintaining he is happy at a club where he has a good relationship with everyone, Conte, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in November and is contracted to Spurs until June 2023, urged those involved in the speculation to "not invent fake news and tell a lot of lies".
Meanwhile, at a separate press conference, Pochettino also declared on Thursday: "As of today, I'm 100 per cent staying and it's the same for (Kylian) Mbappe."
Conte, who is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve in the dugout and at interviews, was full of expressions on Friday.
He smiled broadly and had the room laughing when he claimed to be clueless about reaching 100 EPL games on Sunday.
When asked if he can imagine himself managing another 100 EPL matches, Conte said: "I hope so because we are talking about a fantastic league, the best league in the world, the most competitive league. It's great to work here and have the possibility to face the best players and the best coaches to understand your level."
Spurs and Conte will be up against 10th-placed Leicester, who drew 1-1 against Roma in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday, and will have to make do without left-back Sergio Reguilon, who has a groin complaint.
With five matches to play, Tottenham are two points behind bitter rivals Arsenal in the race to finish fourth and win a place in next season's Champions League.
With a big clash against the Gunners on May 13, Conte knows the equation - win all five and Spurs will be back among Europe's big boys for the first time since they made the round of 16 in 2020.
Reiterating the need for enthusiasm, passion and energy, three words he repeated no fewer than 10 times in total, he said: "I want to underline that we are fighting for a target that at the start of the season, I think no one can imagine. Especially in November because when I arrived, the situation wasn't good, otherwise they wouldn't change the coach.
"With five games to go, to have the possibility to get this result is a great achievement for us. We have to face this situation with great enthusiasm because we have nothing to lose and everything to gain because we are doing something special for the situation we have faced this season."
- David's trip is hosted by Spurs' global principal partner AIA. As part of AIA Singapore's "Grant a Wish with AIA Better Lives Fund" initiative, Tottenham players will wear special edition "AIA Better Lives Fund" shirts in Sunday's match. These will be signed by the players and auctioned, with proceeds going towards the "AIA Better Lives Fund" as well as the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.
