The Italian’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been named as the interim boss until the end of the season. Conte’s exit came just over a week after he launched a post-match tirade against his team, accusing them of being “selfish” and also criticizing the club’s ownership.
Conte had been in charge of Tottenham for 16 months
Antonio Conte has departed from Tottenham Hotspur as their manager, according to an announcement made by the Premier League club on Sunday. The Italian’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been named as the interim boss until the end of the season. Conte’s exit came just over a week after he launched a post-match tirade against his team, accusing them of being “selfish” and also criticizing the club’s ownership. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy released a statement calling for everyone to work together and ensure the club finishes the season strongly. The former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager had been in charge of Tottenham for 16 months but could not win any trophies during his tenure. His departure was inevitable following his recent outburst after a 3-3 draw against Southampton. Conte’s deal was due to expire at the end of the current season.
The club confirmed that they parted ways with Antonio
In his post-match comments, the 53-year-old tore into his players for their perceived lack of team spirit, poor attitude, and inability to handle pressure. He also made comments about Tottenham’s ownership, claiming that the club had not won anything despite having the same owner for the past 20 years. After days of speculation, Tottenham confirmed that they had parted ways with Conte. “We can announce that coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement,” the statement read. “We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him well for the future.” Despite Tottenham being out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League, the team is currently in fourth place in the Premier League and still in contention to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Ryan Mason has been appointed as the assistant head coach.
Tottenham appointed Conte in November 2021, when the club was in eighth place in the league. He succeeded in guiding them to a top-four finish, becoming only the third Tottenham manager to achieve this in the Premier League era. Mauricio Pochettino achieved UEFA Champions League qualification in four consecutive seasons between 2015-16 and 2018-19, while Harry Redknapp did so twice in 2009-10 and 2011-12. Since Conte’s arrival, Tottenham spent around $140 million on new players, including $73.5 million on Brazilian forward Richarlison. The most recent addition was wing-back Pedro Porro, bought to fit into Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 formation. Conte had only just returned to the touchline after recovering from gallbladder surgery and had also been dealing with personal grief following the deaths of three close friends over the past five months – Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone and former players Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli.
Although Conte is known for his fiery temperament, his outburst after the Southampton match came as a surprise to many. Some interpreted his comments as a sign that he wanted to leave Tottenham. Stellini has previously led Tottenham’s first team in Conte’s absence, including the FA Cup defeat to second-tier Sheffield United. Meanwhile, Ryan Mason has been appointed as the assistant head coach.