Conte insists he is happy at Tottenham despite gripes

LONDON : Antonio Conte insists he is happy at Tottenham Hotspur and committed to the club's project despite comments at the weekend apparently criticising the quality of his squad.

Tottenham were booed off after a 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa on New Year's Day, a result that left them in fifth place after only two wins from their last six Premier League games.

After that loss, Conte said pre-season talk of a title challenge were 'crazy' and insisted that fans needed to be realistic about the prospects of winning silverware.

Tottenham urgently need an uplift in form, starting on Wednesday at Crystal Palace, if they are not to lose touch with the teams also competing for a top-four finish.

"I am happy but I always say to you I am happy. I want to stay here. I am enjoying my time in Tottenham, I am enjoying my work in Tottenham," Conte told reporters.

"But it doesn't mean I cannot tell you what we are doing. We are trying to create a base foundation. It is difficult for me every day to repeat the same thing and for you not to understand. I am happy to stay here because I am at a modern club, I have a good relationship with the players and I have a good relationship with the club.

"Sometimes I go home and think I have to study much more English because I am not good to transfer my thoughts to you."

Conte has said he performed a miracle to get Tottenham into the top four last season, and the additions of the likes of Ivan Perisic and Richarlison bolstered the squad in the summer.

Despite being in and around the top four all season, Tottenham have often laboured with Conte's rigid system at times at odds with the players at his disposal.

"Now I am really committed for this club and for Tottenham. Then there is this project and I