Tottenham and manager Antonio Conte have parted ways, the Premier League team has announced. In November 2021, the Italian took over as Spurs’ manager, and he held the position for 16 months.
After the 2022–2023 season, his contract was set to expire, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy opted to take action immediately. “We can confirm that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual consent,” the club said in a statement.
“In Antonio’s first year with the team, we qualified for the Champions League. We appreciate Antonio’s efforts and wish him the best going forward. We still have 10 Premier League games to play, and we’ll continue fighting for a spot in the Champions League. We must all work together to secure the best outcome for our club and great, devoted fans, and everyone must stand up.”
For the remainder of the campaign, Ryan Mason will serve as assistant head coach with interim head coach Cristian Stellini.
Following the 3-3 draw against Southampton on March 18, Conte recently launched a tirade against his players and the club’s organisation in front of the British media.
It wasn’t the first time manager Conte had shown his annoyance during a not-so-great season during a press conference, and rumours stated that certain Tottenham players wanted him out of the club.
In addition to his stress from the club, three close friends of the Italian manager, Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic, and Gianluca Vialli have passed away since October, and Conte also underwent gallbladder surgery.
The 53-year-old described his team as “selfish” and implied that Levy was to blame for a toxic culture that prevents the Spurs from winning championships.
“The issue is that we have demonstrated that we are not a team,” Conte stated. “There are 11 of us. I see egotistical players. I observe players that lack heart and don’t want to support one another. No matter the management, it always remains the same.
Here, they’re used to it. I see players that avoid playing for something significant. They do not wish to perform under stress and panic. They prefer not to perform under pressure.
This is Tottenham’s problem. The owner has been there for 20 years, so why have they never won anything? Only the club or any manager who continues to lead this club should be held responsible. I have observed the managers Tottenham have sitting on the sidelines. You run the danger of tarnishing the manager’s image and always defending the other circumstance.
I have attempted to conceal the problem up to this point, but I am no longer willing to do so since what I have witnessed today is unacceptable and also terrible for the fans.”
Tottenham’s sole remaining goal is to finish the season in the top four since they are sure to conclude the season without any silver hardware. Tottenham is now in fourth place, although Newcastle is two points behind and has a few games left, while Liverpool also poses a danger to overtake the north London team in the standings.
Under Conte, the team played 56 games, won 32, drew nine, and lost 15 times for an average of 1.88 points per game in the Premier League. That is the second-highest total for a Spurs manager who has overseen at least 38 games. The first is Mauricio Pochettino.
