Tottenham Hotspur have announced that Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual consent after 16 months in charge.
“We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” chairman Daniel Levy said.
“We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”
Cristian Stellini will take charge as “Acting Head Coach” for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, with Ryan Mason as Assistant Head Coach.
The news follows his press conference outburst last Saturday when having watched his players throw away a two-goal lead in the 3-3 draw with Southampton, Conte launched an extraordinary rant accusing them of being “selfish”, lacking “fight” and looking for “excuses”.
Spurs have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions and will end another season trophyless having been knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League inside seven days.
As well as lambasting his players’ “unacceptable” attitude, Conte made a series of pointed comments about the club’s lack of silverware, claiming: “They are used to it here.”
“Tottenham’s story is this,” he said. “20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here?”
Conte’s defensive brand of football and a reliance on his preferred 3-4-3 system also brought grumblings from fans, many of whom sang Mauricio Pochettino’s name after the goalless draw with Milan that saw Spurs beaten 1-0 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16.
Pochettino is among the favourites to take over, alongside former Barcelona and Spain manager Luis Enrique.
Conte’s £15m-a-year contract was due to expire in June and he declined to sign an extension despite talks beginning as early as last summer.
The Italian replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in November 2021 and managed a fourth-placed finish in his first season in charge, repeatedly describing that feat as “a miracle”.
Spurs spent over £235m on players during Conte’s tenure, although some of those, notably Djed Spence and Arnaut Danjuma, Conte hinted were not players he wanted to buy, calling them “club signings”.
It was widely expected that Conte would leave north London at the end of the season regardless of whether Spurs qualify for the Champions League, especially as he recently spent a prolonged spell in Italy recovering from gallbladder surgery.
Spurs currently sit fourth, with a two-point lead over Newcastle, though the Magpies have two games in hand.
However, Conte’s scathing comments are understood to have pushed his relationship with the players beyond the point of no return and made his future untenable.
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