Harry Kane is “very happy” heading into the new season at Tottenham, according to head coach Antonio Conte, who is pushing for the club to achieve “something incredible”.
Spurs rallied from a slow start to the 2021-22 season to secure a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League, having replaced Nuno Espirito Santo with Conte in November.
Kane entered last season with his future shrouded in speculation amid interest from Manchester City, and he scored just once under Nuno in the Premier League before the coach was axed.
Better form from the England captain followed under Conte as he netted 16 league goals across the remainder of the campaign – including five in the final five matches of the season as Tottenham pipped rivals Arsenal to fourth place.
With Kane far more settled ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Conte believes his star striker is in a good mindset.
“Harry is very happy,” the coach said. “I see him very happy and totally involved in this process and the club. I like to see him this way with this desire and this will.
“He’s the first player that’s understanding that we’re moving in the right direction. I’d like to have the best satisfaction with my players. “
Excited to welcome you home pic.twitter.com/nnXX9yYB32
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 5, 2022
“We need to be ambitious. We have to give 120 per cent of our capacity, we need to try and do something important for the club, but target to be better than last season.”
Conte is targeting success with Spurs but recognises he has to “be realistic” while understanding the excitement of the supporters.
“For sure I’m excited because I’m living this time with joy. We are going in the right way,” he added.
“We have just started a path, that if we are good to follow, we can reach an important level in the future. But I can’t talk about winning the Champions League, Premier League, it would be arrogant. I feel that we have started a good path.
“I’m a dreamer for sure, but I have to be realistic. If you are a dreamer and work hard then it can bring you something incredible.
“But you have to know the reality. It’s good for our fans to be excited.”
