Conte had been in charge for 16 months
Antonio Conte has been officially sacked by Tottenham, the club have confirmed.
A statement from the club said: “We can announce that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left the Club by mutual agreement. We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio’s first season at the Club. We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him well for the future.”
Conte was dismissed on Sunday after a dismal run of results which culminated in a post-match rant after Spurs’ draw away at Southampton.
Spurs led 3-1 against the lowly Saints until two late goals from Theo Walcott and James Ward Prowse levelled the scoring, with the match ending in a 3-3 draw.
Immediately following the result at St Mary’s, Conte laid into his players and Spurs’ ownership, labelling the players “selfish.”
He told reporters in the post-match press conference: “We are not a team. We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put in their heart.
“The club pays us big money. Not to find excuses, not to play without spirit, to not find a sense of responsibility. For me, this is unacceptable.”
The Italian then appeared to say he believes Tottenham’s players are worse now than they were last season.
“Until now, I was not able to change it, but compare this to last season. The situation became worse,” he fumed.”
The Italian was appointed as Tottenham boss in November 2021, replacing Nuno Espírito Santo and although he managed to guide Spurs to Champions League qualification, was evidently unhappy with the way the club was run.
Despite sufficient backing in the summer – which included the £60m arrival of Richarlison – Conte cut a frustrated figure on the touchline. Failure to beat AC Milan in the Champions League round of 16 added to the animosity in north London and the club have decided to act early and relieve the former Chelsea boss of his duties early, with his contract due to initially expire at the end of the season.
Cristian Stellini will act as the club’s interim head coach until the end of the season – working alongside Ryan Mason – as Spurs look to appoint a long-term successor while try and finish inside the top four.
Julian Nagelsmann has been linked with the job after being sacked by Bayern Munich while a return for Mauricio Pochettino is also reportedly on the cards.
