Conte to 'assess' future amid Spurs struggles

BURNLEY, England－Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte will assess his future at the club after admitting he does not deserve his salary following Wednesday's damaging 1-0 defeat against Burnley.

Conte's side saw its hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League severely damaged by Ben Mee's second-half winner at Turf Moor.

Just days after its memorable 3-2 win at champion Manchester City, Tottenham returned to the kind of lackluster display that has marred its dismal season.

It was a fourth league defeat in five games for eighth-placed Tottenham, which is seven points adrift of the top four in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

Conte cut a forlorn figure after the latest loss in a difficult start to his first season with the north London club.

The Italian, who replaced the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo in November, appeared to hint he could walk away from Tottenham if there is not an improvement in the team's results soon.

Suggesting he wanted to talk to the Tottenham board about the team's predicament, Conte said: "When you lose four out of five it means the club has to make an assessment, also to speak together, and to understand which is the best solution.

"In this situation the players are always the same in this club, the club change coaches, but the players are the same, but the result doesn't change.

"This is the reality. No one deserves this type of situation, the club, me, the players, the fans, but this is the reality.

"I came here to try to improve the situation in Tottenham but maybe at this moment I'm not so good.

"I'm too honest to close my eyes. It means there will be an assessment about the club, about me."

Conte was already unhappy with Tottenham's decision to sell several players during the January transfer window, with only two replacements arriving.

The former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss is a title winner in England and Italy, but conceded Tottenham's current form was closer to a side battling relegation.

"I'm not used to this type of situation. The situation is not changing," he said.

"The reality is in the last five games we are fighting for the relegation zone.

"This is the truth. I don't want to close my eyes. I have to take responsibility and I'm open to every decision because I want to help Tottenham.

"It is not good for everybody to continue to lose and I can't accept this. It's not good for nobody.

"From the first day I arrived I want to help. I repeat, I'm too honest to close my eyes and continue in this way, and also take my salary, it's not right at this moment."

AFP