New Tottenham Hotspur manager, Antonio Conte, has explained why he snubbed the club in the summer.
Conte also spoke about the role Spurs chairman Daniel Levy played in convincing him to come to the club.
The 52-year-old replaces Nuno Espirito Santo on an initial contract until 2023.
Despite being heavily linked with the Manchester United job, Conte has opted to take charge of the North London outfit, who sit eighth in the Premier League table.
Conte, who guided Inter Milan to the Serie A title last season, has finally broken his silence on why he rebuffed Spurs’ approach earlier in the year.
Speaking to the club’s website, he said: “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 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.”
