Dejan Kulusevski has insisted that he and the rest of the Tottenham squad "stand by" the club's decision to part company with company with Antonio Conte, but has admitted that he will miss working with the former Inter Milan coach.
It was announced on Sunday night that Spurs and Conte had mutually agreed to part ways just a few months before the 53-year-old's contract was due to expire.
After guiding Tottenham to a top-four finish last term, Conte's tenure began to turn sour this term and his position appeared to be untenable following a remarkable post-match tirade earlier this month where he accused his players of being "selfish" and slammed the club's rotten mentality.
Kulusevski was one of Conte's first signings at the club and made an instant impact in north London, racking up five goals and eight assists during the second half of last season.
But when he was asked for his thoughts on Conte's exit, the 22-year-old hinted he had no qualms over the decision and insisted that he and Tottenham squad 'stood behind' it. He told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen: “It’s not me who decides. Whoever is the coach, we players will always accept and play for him and for everyone else. Now the club made this decision because they think it is the best and we players stand behind that."
He added: "Always sad when a person you work with and have grown close to has to leave. But life goes on and you just have to move on. We have 10 games left now and we have to do our best to reach the top four.
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"He has been very important. I have learned a lot from him and I will always remember him, but right now we have his assistant who I know very well. Then we’ll see who comes in next season, but I enjoy the city and the club very much."
Kulusevski's Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min, however, took a different approach when he was asked about Conte's departure. The South Korean forward, like Kulusevski, has struggled to replicate his form from last season, where he was crowned as the joint-winner of the Golden Boot.
And Son even apologised to his former boss and insisted he could have done more to help him. He said: “I’m very sorry to him [Conte]. He is a world-class manager, we had a great journey together, I thank him a lot. I do not know how other players are thinking about him, but I’m sorry to him.
“I should have shown more, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t help the team and I feel responsible as he left the club. He surely has great ability and experience as a coach and I’m sure he’ll have great success in his other career. Coming back to Spurs, I wish to finish the rest of the season in a great way with my team-mates, for our club.”
