Antonio Conte makes Newcastle claim that will delight Toon fans, sees Toon as direct rival to Tottenham

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Antonio Conte has told BeIN Sports that Newcastle are in a clutch of clubs on a similar playing field to Tottenham. Conte was discussing the battle for the top four, alongside others like Arsenal, West Ham and Leicester.

Spurs have suffered three straight defeats in the Premier League and what looked like a solid chance for Champions League qualification, has now somewhat diminished. Spurs face Manchester City on Saturday evening.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have won their last three Premier League matches and have clawed themselves out of the relegation zone – for now. The arrival of Eddie Howe and new signings has transformed the Tyneside club.

Conte discussed the challenges facing Tottenham. The Spurs boss thinks his side are in the second clutch of clubs, behind the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea – naming Newcastle among many others alongside Spurs.

“The quality in this league is very high,” Conte said. “There is not much space for teams to become the top teams, every single teams wants to improve. Not only Tottenham, but Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham.

“Even Aston Villa, Newcastle, teams like Brighton, like Wolverhampton. They want to improve and in this moment, we have to fight with these. But not with the top teams – but we need to have the desire to fight.”

Conte on Newcastle: Fight for top four with Tottenham next term?

Newcastle have massively improved. Throw this squad in at the start of next season, with Howe and not Steve Bruce, and the five new signings, and they would comfortably finish in mid-table – perhaps a solid 12th, or 11th.

But if Newcastle are to go to the next step, they need to show ambition and not just aimless spending. At Villa, is there a real sense of optimism and growth – after bringing in the likes of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho.

Newcastle need to spend wisely, smartly and be cutely aware of overspending, and the bloated nature of the squad once additions are made. Get it right this summer, and they could compete for the top eight.