Tottenham have parted company Antonio Conte after the Italian slammed his players as “selfish” after their 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Spurs have announced Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini will be acting head coach for the rest of the season, with Ryan Mason assistant head coach.
Conte departs Tottenham after 16 months in charge following an extraordinary rant against his players after they threw away a 3-1 lead at rock-bottom Southampton to cap a miserable March for the club in which they were dumped out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League to leave them without a trophy for another season stretching back to 2008.
Daniel Levy said in a statement: “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.”
Conte, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season, said after the 3-3 draw: “I’m not used to seeing this type of situation. I see a lot of selfish players and I don’t see a team.”
He added in his post-match press conference: “We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart [in].”
Asked to explain Tottenham’s collapse at Southampton, Conte continued: “Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don’t play for something important.
“They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this.
“Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something – but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here.”
Tottenham will now turn their attention to appointing a permanent manager in the summer and it is understood that Julian Nagelsmann, who was last week sacked as Bayern Munich boss, would be open to talks.
