Spurs kept Conte, will play in Champions League but it's 'now or never' for trophies

Life was bleak at Spurs last October. Harry Kane had checked out and manager Nuno Espirito Santo was on the verge of the sack after a 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United.

The former Wolves manager didn't ever feel like the right fit but to their credit, Spurs acted quickly and redeemed themselves with the appointment of serial winner Antonio Conte.

Fast forward and things are looking rosy again in north London.

Spurs are preparing for a return to the Champions League, Harry Kane has found his mojo and most importantly, the club have another season under the gaze of Conte.

But what comes next for Spurs will ultimately be their biggest test.

Can the club provide Conte with the ammunition needed to break their trophy hoodoo and compete with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City?

"When you've got a manager of Conte's stature, You've got to start backing him," former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour told talkSPORT.

"You'd be mad not to because he would walk away. If he's not going to get the money to spend, then why should he stay at the club?"

Parlour continued: "Conte now has got a real opportunity to make a stand and say 'back me and we can take this club forward'.

"It's all about winning trophies now for Spurs and if you don't win a trophy under Conte then you've got no chance of winning a trophy so I think it's an absolute brilliant opportunity for Spurs to say right okay let's go out and win trophies, buy some good players and we've got a great chance'.

"They've got the stadium, they've got the support, so it's all about going out and spending some money now."

Things are looking up for Spurs once again and there is an increasing optimism surrounding the club.

But talkSPORT.com have taken a look at why, as Parlour suggests, it might be now or never for Spurs as they look to put an end to their 14-year run without a major honour.

It's win or bust for Conte

The key to Tottenham's upwards trajectory has been the appointment of Conte.

Spurs quickly took advantage of a rare situation where a world-class manager with experience of winning the Premier League, was freely available.

He signed an initial 18-month deal but had some wobbles, most famously after a loss to Burnely, keeping the club and supporters on their toes about his future.

He will be staying, though, despite links to Paris Saint-Germain, as he quashed rumours following a meeting with the club's managing director Fabio Paratici last month.

Spurs know they hit the jackpot with Conte and the likelihood of landing such an illustrious manager, unopposed and in his prime, again is doubtful.

Therefore, providing him with the right funds and full backing to carry out his squad reconstruction is the best way Spurs can keep hold of their prized asset in the long term.

Conte's track record centres on impact and quick success before moving on.

Despite spells as manager of Italian sides Atalanta, Siena and Inter Milan as well as Chelsea in the Premier League, Conte's longest managerial stretch lasted just three years during his stint with Juventus.

Any failure and he'll make sure he leaves the club quickly.

Champions League football won't come easy

Spurs snatched Champions League football away from bitter north London rivals Arsenal on the final day of last season.

While the celebrations of a return to the top table of European football began, the club's focus quickly turned to planning ahead of the new season with a guaranteed cash injection and the ability to attract quality to the club.

Fierce competition in the Premier League means that qualifying for the Champions League every season is not a given.

Tottenham have spent two years away from the Champions League but only need to point to their north London neighbours to see how difficult it can be to climb back into the top four and attract Champions League calibre of talent.

For Spurs, they must use the platform of Champions League qualification to attract the talent that Arsenal are unable to and with that, being better placed to cement a top four place again next season.

If they don't qualify in 2022/23, it's a safe bet they will need a new manager the season after.

Splash the cash as Tottenham are attractive to players once again

Strengthening the squad in the right areas is fundamental to Conte and Tottenham achieving success next season.

Without splashing funds, Tottenham can easily find themselves lagging behind instead of closing the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool at the summit and worse still, wind up losing Conte.

Conte was able to bring in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in January and both have proved to be solid additions.

Spurs have hit the ground running in the summer transfer window with the smart additions of Fraser Forster as back-up to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris as well as talented Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma for what looks like a bargain £25 million fee

The addition of the reliable Ivan Perisic shows Conte is building a team to fit his style of football but must be able to complete his shopping list without restrictions.

Because for every Perisic, there is a Djed Spence and with Spurs stuttering over a fee for the highly-rated Middlesbrough full-back, now is the time to get this type of deal over the line to ensure Conte has the squad he wants at his disposal ahead of the new season.

With everything in place to launch an attack on all competitions next term, it feels as though it's now or never for Tottenham, as Conte lays the foundations to try to loosen Manchester City and Liverpool's stranglehold on the domestic titles.

He has done it before when his Inter Milan side knocked Juventus off their perch after nine straight Serie A title wins and he will be eyeing another scalp in the Premier League.