Antonio Conte Signs Contract as Tottenham Manager After Nuno Espirito Santo Firing

Tottenham Hotspur announced Tuesday it has signed Antonio Conte to a two-year contract to take over as its new manager after Nuno Espirito Santo was fired Monday after just 17 games in charge.

Conte released a statement after accepting the Spurs job:

"I am extremely happy to return to coaching, and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist again. Tottenham Hotspur has state-of-the-art facilities and one of the best stadiums in the world. I can't wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach."

"Last summer our union did not happen because the end of my relationship with Inter was still too recent and emotionally too involved with the end of the season, so I felt that it wasn't yet the right time to return to coaching. But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of [chairman] Daniel Levy in wanting to entrust me with this task had already hit the mark. Now that the opportunity has returned, I have chosen to take it with great conviction."

Conte is no stranger to the pressure associated with high-level European football.

The 52-year-old Italian spent 14 years as a midfielder with Juventus during his playing career, and he's served as manager of the likes of Juve, Chelsea and Inter Milan along with a stint leading Italy's national team across 16 years as a coach.

That experience should come to his aid as he attempts to help Spurs find consistency after an up-and-down start to the 2021-22 term. They own a 5-5-0 record with a minus-seven goal differential in Premier League play.

The club opted to let Nuno go following back-to-back losses to West Ham United and Manchester United, which dropped the side to ninth in the Premier League table.

Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici worked alongside Conte at Juve and is hopeful his arrival can provide a spark.

"We are delighted to welcome Antonio to the club. His track record speaks for itself, with vast experience and trophies in both Italy and England," Paratici said. "I know first-hand the qualities Antonio can bring to us, having worked with him at Juventus, and look forward to seeing his work with our talented group of players."

As a manager, Conte has captured four Serie A titles, three with Juventus and one with Inter, and one Premier League championship with Chelsea.

His first match in charge will come Thursday when Spurs host Vitesse in the Europa Conference League. They suffered a 1-0 loss to the Dutch side last month and currently sit third in the Group G table, so they likely need all three points to have a chance to advance.

Tottenham will then visit Goodison Park on Sunday to take on Everton in Premier League action before heading into a two-week international break.