Tottenham have confirmed that Antonio Conte has been relieved of his duties as manager just over a week after his astonishing press conference meltdown.
The Italian took aim at his squad and the culture of the club following a 3-3 draw at Southampton. Conte was always expected to leave North London at the end of this season, but chairman Daniel Levy has clearly deemed the 56-year-old's role as untenable and acted swiftly to remove him from his post.
In a short statement released on the club website late Sunday evening, Levy made clear why he felt he had little choice but to part ways with Conte at this stage of the season.
Levy declared: "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."
It is apparent that Levy felt Spurs' charge for Champions League qualification was only going to end in tears and that the club's best bet was to end Conte's reign prematurely.
The update from Spurs also confirmed Cristian Stellini will be their acting head coach for the remainder of the season, with Ryan Mason his assistant. The decision may come as a surprise considering Mason served as the interim when Jose Mourinho was sacked in early 2021.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Were Spurs right to sack Conte at this stage of the season? Comment below
Conte's final press conference will go down in Premier League history, as he claimed to a room of stunned reporters: "I see selfish players, I see players that don't want to help each other and don't put their heart [in], I see only 11 players that play for themselves.
"Why is it happening? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don't play for something important yeah.
"They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress. It is easy in this way."
Speculation surrounding Conte's future went up a notch once news broke that the Italian had flown back to his home country following the draw at St. Mary's.
The rumour mill is likely to go into overdrive in regards to who could succeed Conte long-term. Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has often been touted with a return, but the recently sacked Julian Nagelsmann could also emerge as a front-runner.
For now, full-focus is on securing a top-four finish but Levy will surely have one eye on the next permanent appointment.
