Antonio Conte has played down the significance of his Tottenham contract and insists there is no rush to determine his long-term future.
The Italian’s current deal is up at the end of the season, but Spurs have the option to extend his contract by a further year before then.
Talk of whether the club will tie Conte down has been a regular feature of his 11 months in charge. Defeats in the early period of his reign, such as one at Turf Moor against Burnley, were often followed by the Spurs boss questioning whether he was the right man for the job.
He has cut a more positive figure recently, aided by his side’s strong start to the season and they sit just one point behind Premier League table-toppers Arsenal going into this weekend’s north London derby at the Emirates.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match, Conte dismissed “disrespectful” reports linking him with a move back to Juventus as he emphasised how happy he was with his situation at Tottenham.
The Spurs boss sees no need to rush into contract negotiations, insisting his positive relationship with everyone at the club is more significant than a new deal.
Asked about the club’s option to extend his current deal, Conte said: “[For me] there is no contract, there is no option. If the club and the manager want to work together they will continue to work together. If they don’t want to work together, they finish.
“The most important thing for me is that I’m really enjoying to work with Tottenham, with these players, especially, and the relationship with Daniel [Levy, chairman] and Fabio [Paratici, managing director] is good.
“There doesn’t exist a right time [to decide my future]. It could be tomorrow. It could be the last day of the Premier League season. The most important thing for me and the club is to understand we want to continue together, to go in the same direction.
“I said in the past, I didn’t need another contract to be sure to stay in a club. Also, for the club, it’s a good investment to have a coach like me and my staff. I think at the right time I will take the best decision. At this moment, I’m really happy. I don’t want to push the club about the situation because it’s not the right time.
“We have just started the season and we have a long time to live together and to understand, to continue to work together.”
