Antonio Conte: Tottenham boss says he is ‘ready to die’ for club until end of season amid speculation over future | Football News

Antonio Conte says he is “ready to die” for Tottenham until the end of the season, but admitted the contract he signed at the start of his tenure was “strange”.

Speculation over Conte’s future has intensified following Wednesday’s limp Champions League exit to AC Milan, with the Italian’s current terms expiring in the summer amid a growing belief he will depart before the end of the season.

But the 53-year-old insists he will see out the remainder of the season ahead of Saturday’s Premier League home match against Nottingham Forest, the first of 12 games remaining for Spurs.

Asked whether he wanted to stay, he replied: “You know my opinion and my desire. I’ve said to you a lot of times and during the press conference that the situation I have found – we are far to aspire to be competitive and try to win.

“For a long time I’ve said we need time, we need patience and I see that here the environment has no patience, or maybe the environment doesn’t want to understand the reality.

“If no one wants to understand this and for sure I don’t speak about my future because the club knows very well which is my situation, my thoughts. We can’t do miracles. If I have become to people a target then no, I’m not this person. The reality is this.

“We need time and patience. I understood that here the patience finished for the fans, for the environment and then we’ll see what happens in the future.

“I’m not so stupid to kill myself. Until the end, I am ready to die for this club but then we’ll see because I’m not so stupid to continue to kill myself.”

He added: “You know with the club we signed a contract, a strange contract one-year-and-a-half. Usually you sign for three years but I think it was for the club and for myself to see the situation.

“For the club to understand my personality, my capacity as a coach and for me – from my side it was the same. To understand if we were on the same page.

“Now after one year and a half, the club knows me, I know the club and it is clear this situation. We have to finish the season and then we will see.

“The club knows very well my thoughts. I am ready to die for this club until the end of the season.”