'Don't celebrate these things' - Antonio Conte opens up 'difficult' Tottenham exit and reveals how north London spell changed perspective on life

Conte has opened up about his turbulent spell with Tottenham, describing his time in North London as a “difficult” chapter in his managerial journey. Though he led Spurs to a top-four finish in 2022, Conte has admitted that qualifying for the Champions League wasn’t something he ever felt deserved celebration — and revealed how a series of devastating personal losses shifted his perspective on football and life.

Speaking to Sky Italia, Conte recalled his first full season with Spurs and the emotional and philosophical toll it took: "It was a difficult year at Tottenham. I arrived in November with them ninth in the standings and we ended up in the Champions League, overtaking Arsenal… For them, going to the Champions League was like winning the Premier League.”

But for Conte, the celebrations in the dressing room after sealing fourth place didn’t sit right: "On the last day, the Champions League entry was celebrated in the dressing room. I called my staff and told them: we don’t get used to these celebrations. You don’t celebrate these things. We are used to celebrating other things. OK, great feat, but at the same time, we understand what kind of celebration it is."

The Italian coach went on to speak candidly about the personal tragedies that surrounded his final months in charge — the deaths of close friends Gian Piero Ventrone and Gianluca Vialli — which ultimately left him questioning his priorities and emotional capacity to continue at Spurs.

He added: "Gian Piero Ventrone died of leukaemia in fifteen days and it was a terrible blow on an emotional and psychological level and it wasn’t easy.

"Then Gianluca Vialli also passed away, with whom I had met the month before at a restaurant with my wife. I had seen him very calm, he was even fine, but during that dinner, I understood that something was wrong. You notice it when someone is enjoying something, he had drunk, eaten and after a month he passed away."

The Napoli manager also spoke about Sinisa Mihajlovic’s death and its impact on him, and how it led him to reconsider his priorities in life.

Conte continued: "Sinisa’s story also had an impact. A series of pains that made me rethink some priorities. I had my family far away, in Italy, while I was in a hotel. My wife had always made an effort for me. So I asked myself: how much is it worth sacrificing family and friends for this knowing that from one day to the next you find yourself facing tragedies of this kind and no longer being there? This made me change some priorities.

"Then I also had a problem and I had to urgently have gallbladder surgery and I was at risk of getting pancreatitis. In short, that period made me think a lot about the priorities."

Conte’s return to Italy has already paid dividends with domestic success at Napoli. But after nearly walking away from Gli Azzurri even after winning the Scudetto, it's clear the former Tottenham boss continues to balance football ambition with a deeper sense of personal clarity.