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Antonio Conte has left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent. The Italian boss’ future has been up in the air now for some time for a number of reasons relating to performances on the pitch, post-match press conferences and the health of the 53-year-old.
The situation appeared to reach boiling point in the final Premier League match before the international break last weekend. After seeing his side surrender a 3-1 lead away at Southampton with 15 minutes to play, Conte went on an explosive rant calling out board members and playing staff for their lack of interest in winning and for failing to fight for each other.
Many believed that there was no coming back from this and they have now been proven right with Conte now out of a job. Assistant boss Christian Stellini has been given the reigns for the final ten Premier League games of the season with Ryan Mason also staying on to help him.
Spurs are still in with a shout for a top-four finish which would earn them Champions League football once again for the 2023/24 season. They are currently two points clear of Newcastle United in fifth place but the Magpies have two games-in-hand on them.
A tough season for Conte
After guiding his side to a top-four finish last season, many were predicting that Antonio Conte could do the unthinkable and put Spurs in a position to fight for the Premier League title this season. However, after a few poor results at the start of the season, the North London side quickly fell out of touch Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table.
Attention quickly turned to the cup competitions and fighting for the top four but complications with the Italian’s health off the field derailed the season further. Conte was rushed in for an emergency operation on his gallbladder at the start of February and he subsequently missed a number of games, including the memorable win over Manchester City, but also the embarrassing loss to Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
Official: Antonio Conte and Tottenham part ways by mutual consent — he’s no longer the coach 🚨⚪️ #THFC
Following the departure of Conte, Cristian Stellini will manage Tottenham Hotspur untill the end of the season. Ryan Mason will also be assistant. pic.twitter.com/N8RN38a39n
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 26, 2023
With Spurs’ final hopes of silverware hinging on their Champions Leauge tie with AC Milan, his side put in one of the most abject performances of the season, rarely threatening the Milan goal in a must-win game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium three weeks ago.
The loss to Milan seemed to end all hopes of Conte signing a new deal at Tottenham, and his position became untenable after his rant at St Mary’s last weekend.
What next for Conte?
Antonio Conte is building himself a reputation of being someone who comes into a team, sets them up to play negative football, and then blows the whole thing up when results turn sour. Another man who fits this description, Jose Mourinho, is currently rebuilding his reputation in Serie A and a move back to Italy is the most likely next move for Conte.
If he doesn’t fancy a return to Serie A then he could be an outside bet for the PSG job. However, his poor Champions League record may well rule him out of that one. One of his former clubs, Chelsea, could soon be looking for a new manager with results under Graham Potter continuing to disappoint so keep an eye on Conte should the job at Stamford Bridge become available in the near future.
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