Premier League: Arsenal rewarded for keeping faith with Arteta, says Conte

Tottenham pipped Arsenal to Champions League qualification at the end of last season, but the Gunners have kept faith with Arteta and are now reaping the rewards.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. (FILE PHOTO) | Photo Credit: DAVID KLEIN

Antonio Conte has urged Tottenham to allow him the same patient approach that Arsenal adopted with Mikel Arteta.

Tottenham pipped Arsenal to Champions League qualification at the end of last season, but the Gunners have kept faith with Arteta and are now reaping the rewards.

Arsenal go into Saturday’s north London derby sitting top of the Premier League, while Tottenham are one point behind in third place.

Arteta was allowed to invest heavily in new signings despite his failure to secure a lucrative Champions League berth, with both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus playing key roles after arriving from Manchester City.

Conte is impressed with Arteta’s work and believes Tottenham should be equally clear-headed about its approach to his own rebuilding project.

“I think if I see what happened at Arsenal, they’re a club who backed Arteta over the years,” Conte said.

“You’re seeing when you trust a person, and Arsenal showed this also in a tough period with Arteta by backing him in every moment, now they’re having good results.

“They had a good step. I think this season they’re better than last season. They made good signings, especially Jesus and Zinchenko from a club like Manchester City, two players that are used to winning and having a winning mentality.

“It’s always very important to go together, with the coach and the club. If you want to build something important you have to go together, to have a good relationship.”

Conte, whose contract expires at the end of this season, has complained about the transfer strategies of several of his previous clubs including Chelsea and Inter Milan.

The 53-year-old is happier at Tottenham after a summer spending spree that added six players to his squad.

“It will be very important to continue to work in the right way. We need to have time and a bit of patience to try to build a path to become seriously competitive with (Manchester) City, Liverpool, Chelsea, also (Manchester) United and Arsenal,” Conte said.

“For me, it’s important to realise this and understand that we need time and patience. Then, I repeat, I’m enjoying working with this club.”