Conte hoping for Premier League, Champions League success at Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte believes the club is moving in the right direction after "common sense" transfers in the current window but has set a high bar for success, outlining ambitions of winning the Premier League and Champions League.

Last season's fourth-place finish represented an over-achievement for Spurs, who began the campaign in decline and with modest expectations, but the return of Champions League football and a host of new signings have raised the bar.

Conte has welcomed six new players into his squad - Ivan Perisic, Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and goalkeeper Fraser Forster - before Spurs host Southampton in their Premier League opener on Saturday.

When it was suggested winning a domestic cup competition might constitute success for Tottenham this season, Conte told reporters on Thursday: "Why not Premier League and the Champions League? My target and the club's target is to improve.

"If you get a place in the Champions League it doesn't mean you've achieved your target. My experience brings me to say we're going in the right direction... We're doing good things – we are trying to do things with common sense.

"At the same time, I know the club needed another step to be competitive with the top teams in Europe. For this reason we have to not be presumptuous or arrogant. We have to work to improve on the pitch and outside of the pitch to become a top club."

Italian Conte also defended his record of moving on quickly from coaching roles and said he believes longevity is the best way to go for success, alluding to Juergen Klopp at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The 53-year-old, who questioned his future at Spurs after a defeat by Burnley in February, is in