We need to be dreamers – Antonio Conte teases huge plans for Tottenham season

Antonio Conte believes the sense of anticipation around Tottenham is justified given their transfer activity and he wants fans to dream big ahead of the start of a new season.

Spurs entertain Southampton on Saturday in their Premier League opener with several signings set to be on show after the club enjoyed one of their strongest and most stable summers for a long time.

Ivan Perisic’s arrival in May got the ball rolling before Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Djed Spence followed while Clement Lenglet has also joined on loan from Barcelona. The feeling is Tottenham are not done there and it has lifted expectations.

While upsetting the Manchester City and Liverpool apple cart looks an unlikely goal, Conte sent a message to supporters on the eve of their first match.

He said: “I have to be realistic, but I am a dreamer. We need to be dreamers because if you are dreamers then that together with the work can bring you something incredible in your life.

“In the past that has happened many times but at the same time, you have to be realistic and see the reality.

“It is good for our fans to be excited because if they see that we are going in the right direction with a good vision, that the club is totally involved in this project and process, for these reasons they have to be excited. And the players and I will go together.”

Parallels can be drawn between Conte’s sentiments and the view of the late Bill Nicholson, Tottenham manager the last time they were English champions in 1961.

Nicholson memorably recalled: “It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. At Spurs we set our sights very high, so that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.”

Glorious failure has been synonymous with