Antonio Conte has departed Tottenham Hotspur after the club reached an agreement with the Italian coach to end his contract.
The Italian have departed the London Clubside after him and the club reached an agreement.
Recall we reported early last week that the club was looking to let go of the former Chelsea boss after his rant about Tottenham players.
With assistance from Ryan Mason, who will take on the role of associate head coach, Conte’s longtime assistant Cristian Stellini will serve as acting head coach for the final 10 Premier League games of the season.
Following his enraged outburst last Saturday during the 3-3 draw with Southampton, in which he criticized the “spirit” and professionalism of his players and claimed they were “selfish,” Conte’s situation became untenable.
The club had spent over a week considering his future and was rumored to be discussing terms of exit with the 53-year-old – while Stellini and Mason went to training. He returned to Italy the day after the game and showed little desire to return to work.
Julian Nagelsmann, Oliver Glasner, Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, and Roberto De Zerbi are among the potential candidates for the position in the summer, according to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who is currently looking for a 12th permanent Spurs manager under his watch and the fourth since Mauricio Pochettino was fired in November 2019.
Levy chose not to praise or acknowledge Conte in a brief statement that accompanied the news late on Sunday night, stating only: “We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place.”
“We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our Club and amazing, loyal supporters.”
Conte’s contract with Spurs is meant to expire at the end of the current campaign, and he had repeatedly refused to commit to the club beyond that point. The two sides had long ago stopped speaking, and the club had shown little interest in exercising an option to extend his contract by another year.
Nonetheless, Antonio Conte had been anticipated to finish the season until his outburst at St. Mary’s, with Spurs on track for back-to-back top-four finishes under the Italian.
He leaves them in fourth place, but he also suffered humiliating cup losses to Championship Sheffield United and AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League and FA Cup, respectively, within a week of one other.
Spurs are still without a trophy since 2008 after losing to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the League Cup in November.
Last season, Conte led Spurs back into the Champions League after a two-year absence. Spurs won 10 of their final 14 League games, including a 3-0 triumph against rival Arsenal, undoubtedly the career-high.
They led the Premier League in goals scored in 2022, despite Conte’s assertion that their re-entry was “a miracle.”
Did Tottenham do well in letting Antonio Conte leave? What do you think about this?
