There are real signs that Tottenham could be a different force next season

If Roy Keane is reading the Sunday World today, he might well be rolling his eyes at my comment here, as he has little or nothing good to say about the side that has a habit of fluffing their lines when the key moments arrive.

But I think things might change for them if they keep Antonio Conte as their manager.

He got them over the line to qualify for the Champions League last season, and that was evidence that he is already shifting the mentality at Tottenham.

Conte has been a winner on every step of his coaching career and you could see signs in the second half of last season that his influence was starting to be felt.

Like Jurgen Klopp in his first year at Liverpool, Conte was putting a few pillars in place that he could build on for this season.

Now we wait to see what comes next for the Spurs manager and his team.

They have made some interesting and shrewd signings in the transfer market by bringing in Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan and Brighton's Yves Bissouma, who was strongly linked with Liverpool not so long ago.

They have kept Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, who are one of the best attacking duos in the Premier League, and you can feel a mood change around the club.

The gap between Manchester City and Liverpool will be too much for Tottenham to breach next season, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go very close to finishing ahead of Chelsea in third place.

Managers of Conte's quality are worth their weight in gold and we might just see a different Tottenham emerging under the guidance of a serial winner.