Watch Chelsea vs Tottenham in Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm on Wednesday; kick-off 7.45pm; Harry Kane is central to Spurs' future success, says Antonio Conte: "If we want to think to build something to win, Harry [Kane] must be a starting point."
Wednesday 5 January 2022 20:47, UK
Antonio Conte understands Harry Kane's frustration at Tottenham's lack of trophies but says the striker is central to the club's future.
Kane indicated his desire to leave Tottenham for Manchester City in the summer before opting to stay, and Conte said he has been "totally satisfied" with the 28-year-old's commitment to the team, who face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Football.
The Italian said it was a "great choice" by owner Daniel Levy to keep Kane at the club, who last won a trophy in 2008 when they lifted the League Cup.
"I knew the situation in the summer and, when Harry decided to stay in Tottenham, I found a player totally involved in this project ... if we want to think to build something to win, Harry must be a starting point," Conte said, ahead of his return to Stamford Bridge to face his former club Chelsea on Wednesday.
"I understand Harry's situation. When you finish your career, you can see your appearances and the teams you made them for but, at the same time, it's right to see what you have won. This is important, especially for the top, top players.
"I think that when Tottenham brought me here they wanted to send a signal outside, and maybe also to our players ... We have to try to build a situation where we are all involved and to try to create a situation that we can be competitive to try to win."
After a slow start to the season, Kane has recovered some form and has scored three goals in Spurs' last four Premier League games.
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku will return after disciplinary issues against Tottenham.
Lukaku has apologised after revealing unhappiness at Chelsea in a recent interview, while Timo Werner could feature for the first time since December 11 after Covid-19.
Andreas Christensen remains a doubt with back trouble, while Trevoh Chalobah will face a late check after a recurrence of his previous thigh problem.
Tottenham are waiting for the results of PCR tests to see the extent of their latest coronavirus outbreak.
Antonio Conte said his side had a "couple of issues" regarding some unnamed players in the build-up to the game and will see how it develops before Wednesday night's game.
Steven Bergwijn (calf), Ryan Sessegnon and Cristian Romero (both hamstring) are all out.
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