London, March 26 (BNA): Antonio Conte’s increasingly tense relationship with Tottenham Hotspur ended with the Premier League club announcing its separation from the Italian on Sunday.
Writing has been on hold since last weekend after Conte’s furious reaction to the 3-3 draw with Southampton in the Premier League – after which he lashed out at his players, Reuters reports.
“We can announce that coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement,” Tottenham said in a statement.
He added, “We achieved qualification for the Champions League in Antonio’s first season at the club. We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him success in the future.”
The club said Conte’s assistant Christian Stellini, who played several games while Conte was recovering from surgery, would take charge of the first team, with support from former Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason, until the end of the season.
“We have ten matches left in the Premier League and we have a fight on our hands for Champions League qualification,” Chairman Daniel Levy said in the statement.
“We all have to stick together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible result for our club and our amazingly loyal supporters.”
Conte leaves with Tottenham who are fourth in the Premier League and still in good shape to fight for a top four finish and Champions League qualification.
But the truth is that there has been a growing sense of drift since last season’s mighty Spurs managed to finish fourth in the table.
And Tottenham, who had not won any title since 2008, lost to the second division Sheffield United in the fifth round of the FA Cup this month, and exited the Champions League against Milan with a humiliation before beating Southampton.
After that draw, which left Tottenham just two points clear of Newcastle United after playing two more matches, Conte accused his players of being selfish, lacking team spirit and even seemed to be aiming a shot at the club’s hierarchy.
“The story of Tottenham is this – 20 years there, this owner (Levy) and they haven’t won anything. Why?” Conti said. “The mistake is only for the club, or for every coach who stays here. I’ve seen coaches who have had Tottenham on the bench.
“It is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change. If they want to continue in this way, they can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change.”
Conte, who led Juventus and Inter Milan to the Serie A title and Chelsea to the Premier League title, had his contract expired in June and his behavior showed he did not have the power to extend his stay.
The 53-year-old, who replaced the short-lived Nuno Espirito Santo in November 2021, has been in charge of 76 matches for Tottenham, winning 41 and losing 23.
He has endured an emotional few months with the deaths of three close friends, Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventroni, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli.
The mood was very different at the end of last season, as Conte worked wonders to turn around Tottenham’s fortunes to chase Arsenal in the hunt for fourth place.
But while Arsenal are now favorites to win the title, Tottenham have slipped away and Conte’s tough style of football has tested the fans’ patience.
Things came to a head when they barely created a chance against Milan in a 0-0 draw in North London after losing the first leg 1-0 at the San Siro.
After exiting the Champions League, Conte, who returned to the technical area after gallbladder surgery, indicated that the club could say goodbye to him before his contract expired.
The victory over Nottingham Forest showed some optimism, but the draw at Southampton reopened old wounds.
Conte is the second serial winning manager to leave the club in just over three years after sacking Jose Mourinho two years ago after he was brought in to replace the hugely popular Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino, who was sacked in 2019 just months after leading the club to the Champions League final, is likely to return, while Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern Munich this week, is also a candidate for the position.
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