Cristian Stellini sends defiant message ahead of key run of Tottenham fixtures

Tottenham interim manager Cristian Stellini has insisted he is the right man at the right time ahead of the club's push for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.

Following on from Antonio Conte's departure earlier this week, Stellini has once again stepped up to take charge of first-team affairs, having done so previously while Conte was recovering from gallbladder surgery.

It's an obvious risk for Tottenham, who sit fourth in the Premier League but are no longer in control of their own top-four destiny after playing two games more than most teams around them.

But Stellini is confident he can step up, take responsibility and deliver for Spurs.

"I feel very honoured and feel I am in the right position to do this," Stellini told SpursPlay. "I want to do this with all the staff, with Ryan [Mason] that is very important for me and the club and it was important when we were in charge when Antonio wasn't here.

"We feel we can do what we did before, we want to improve, and this is a moment to take responsibility and to improve, all together."

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Stellini added: "We have to continue the job. If we are here, it is because we did a good job. And if we are here is because we have to make this decision and make this real because we will work well in that moment.

"The players, us and everyone in the club has to do something more to help the club to help the players, to help the team because we need a team and we want to show to everyone that we are a team again."

90min understands that both Julian Nagelsmann and former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino would be open to moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, although the duo would prefer to wait until the end of the season before making the move.

Both Nagelsmann and Pochettino are, however, understood to be keeping one eye on Carlo Ancelotti's future at Real Madrid, which will be decided at the end of the season.

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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann's future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona's ambition to bring Lionel Messi 'home', Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!

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