ANTONIO CONTE has finally left Tottenham – with his right-man Cristian Stellini put in caretaker charge until the end of the season.
Ex-Chelsea chief Conte, 53, was expected to depart after branding his players as “selfish” in an explosive final press conference after a 3-3 draw at Southampton last Saturday.
APAntonio Conte has been sacked by Spurs[/caption]
After eight days of speculation, Spurs at last announced his departure at 10.21pm last night.
A club statement read: “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.
“Cristian Stellini will take the team as acting head coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as assistant head coach.”
Stellini and Mason’s temporary appointments will likely mean Spurs will park their search for a permanent successor to Conte until the summer.
Julian Nagelsmann, last week sacked by Bayern Munich, former chief Mauricio Pochettino, Marco Silva, Ange Postecoglou and Roberto De Zerbi are among those in the frame.
Conte took over in November 2021 and snatched fourth place on the final day of last season.
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PANo2 Cristian Stellini has been named interim boss for the rest of the season[/caption]
AFPRyan Mason will be Spurs’ new assistant, having previously been interim manager[/caption]
But he never seemed truly happy with the ambition of the club and hit out at the mentality of his squad in that unforgettable final session with the media at St Mary’s last weekend, after his team had surrendered a 3-1 lead.
He also had a traumatic year, losing three close friends in Gian Piero Ventrone – Spurs’ beloved fitness coach – Sinisa Mihaljovic and Gianluca Vialli, while he missed five games recently after gallbladder surgery.
Stellini, 48, took charge for those fixtures and for the impressive 2-1 win at Marseille in the Champions League in November, when Conte was serving a touchline ban.
The former defender, who assisted Conte at Inter Milan as well, was at the helm for famous wins over Manchester City and Chelsea too – though always gave the credit to his stricken boss.
Mason, 31, who was first-team coach was not asked to take caretaker charge this time, unlike when Jose Mourinho was sacked two years ago.
Spurs currently lie fourth in the Premier League, two points ahead of Newcastle who have two games in hand.
Chairman Daniel Levy added: “We have ten 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.”