It is looking increasingly likely that Antonio Conte will leave Tottenham this summer at the end of his contract, or perhaps even before.
The Italian replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in November 2021 and signed a deal running until June 2023. Although Conte made a promising start to life in north London, it has all turned sour in recent months after they bowed out of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League in disappointing fashion.
Wednesday night's 1-0 aggregate defeat against AC Milan seemed to spark a toxic atmosphere - and a chorus of boos could be heard from sections of the Spurs faithful. After the game, Conte said he will decide his future at the end of the campaign, but it is now looking like he will depart.
Conte managed to drag Spurs into the top four at the end of last season with a late flurry, pipping arch rivals Arsenal to a Champions League spot. It seemed as though Tottenham would build on that and potentially challenge for the title, however, they haven't got anywhere near doing that
Instead, to rub salt in the wounds, Arsenal have mounted a title charge and have been able to build on a positive 2021-22 campaign. They sit a mammoth 18 points ahead of Spurs - which has frustrated many Tottenham fans given the amount of money they have spent.
Ex-Inter Milan, Juventus and Chelsea manager Conte has also only averaged just over two years at each club and is destined to leave Tottenham in the summer as it simply hasn't worked out how many would have hoped. Conte prides himself on being a serial winner but he has not been able to provide that success to Spurs.
But why hasn't it worked for Conte at Tottenham?
If you break down every single signing, many Spurs fans would perhaps say that only two of the 10 players signed by Conte have an outright success. They would be Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, who have made Tottenham stronger and really bolstered their squad when they joined last January.
Kulusevski joined on an 18-month loan deal from Juventus for a fee in the region of £8.3million and has been an astute signing. He gave Spurs some much-needed creativity from the right last season, scoring five times and providing eight assists in 18 Premier League matches.
Bentancur, who also signed from Juventus but on a permanent deal for £21.5m, has beefed up Spurs' midfield options and was a key figure in the XI before suffering a season-ending injury. The Uruguayan impressed at the back end of last season but improved this time around, with the midfielder scoring some crucial goals.
It could be said that Cristian Romero has been a good signing, too, but he has been inconsistent. The Argentine was signed under Espirito Santo on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent move, with Conte sanctioning the deal in August 2022 for around £42.5m on a long-term contract.
Romero was sent off in the second-leg against AC Milan on Wednesday after picking up a second yellow card. It was a silly, ill-advised challenge from the centre-back and his composure really does let him down at times. Spurs were pushing for a leveller in the tie at that point and Romero's red card ruined their chances.
Meanwhile, a signing that looked like a bargain in the summer was the much-coveted Yves Bissouma, who made the £25m move from Brighton.
But the Mali international has struggled to get used to Conte's style of play and hasn't fitted in at all. In actual fact, he has made just seven league starts since his switch from the AMEX Stadium.
Another transfer that has not worked out at all is Djed Spence's £12.5m move from Middlesbrough. He failed to make a Premier League start for Spurs before joining Rennes on a short-term loan in January.
Tottenham's most expensive signing under Conte, however, came when Richarlison arrived for £60m. Like Bissouma, this seemed a terrific signing on paper but the Brazilian hasn't found his best form yet. He has failed to score in the league and only netted two times in Europe.
After the game against Milan, Richarlison launched into a furious rant to reporters. "This season, excuse the word, it's been s***, because I don't have minutes, I suffered a little with the injury." Richarlison told TNT Sports (via ESPN Brasil ).
"But, when I enter the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that's it, I think I should have played and I don't have to cry about it."
Destiny Udogie (£15m), Clement Lenglet (£4.5m loan fee), Pedro Porro £44m (£5m loan fee, £39m obligation to buy) and Arnaut Danjuma (£2.5m loan fee) are the other four players that have been signed under Conte's stewardship, with Porro enduring a nightmare debut in the 4-1 defeat at Leicester.
In total, Conte's expenditure will come to a figure in the region of £235.8m. Not as much as the millions spent by Chelsea but still an astronomical amount.
Tottenham are next in action on Saturday against Nottingham Forest as they look to get their top four push back on track, something that now represents their only goal this season and in the dying days of Conte.
