sport news Antonio Conte LEAVES Tottenham by mutual consent trends now
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham by 'mutual consent' following his incredible tirade launched at his own players after the 3-3 draw at Southampton.
Spurs had been leading 3-1 at the Premier League's bottom club with just 13 minutes to play on Saturday, only to then concede twice - including a penalty in stoppage time - to drop two points and put a severe dent in the club's bid to qualify for the Champions League.
The result was damning for Spurs and Conte but his post-match rant has forced club chiefs to act.
Conte had taken over as Spurs in November 2021 following an ill-fated start to the season under his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo and what's followed has been a rollercoaster 16-months in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
He leaves the club with a record of 41 wins from his 76 matches in charge.
Antonio Conte's dismissal comes after a fiery rant at his players following a draw at Southampton
Conte has been sacked as manager of Tottenham Hotspur after just 16 months in the job
Mauricio Pochettino, Steve Cooper, Roberto De Zerbi, Olivier Glasner and Luis Enrique are among the coaches who could succeed Conte, but axed Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is the bookies favourite.
The Italian, who held talks with Spurs chiefs this week, had just three months left on his current deal, which is worth £15million a year – meaning Conte is due in the region of £4million in compensation, excluding the money owed to his staff.
Discussions over a potential severance package had taken place at Tottenham before the decision was made.
Spurs held an option to extend Conte's deal by an extra 12 months, however it is understood there is no obligation for Spurs to compensate their current head coach for that extension clause.
Ryan Mason, who is expected to take temporary charge after Conte's dismissal, took the team as they trained on Tuesday - the first time since the Italian's vicious verbal attack.
While Conte's first season was a major success after guiding the club through early turmoil to return to the Champions League, this term has proven much more volatile.
Despite Spurs once again battling for a place inside the top four, fans have been left furious with the team's largely poor performances and weak exits from all the cup competitions - including an FA Cup fifth round defeat at Championship side Sheffield United and from the Champions League at the hands of AC Milan.
It means Spurs' trophy drought will extend into a 16th season and, given the turmoil inside the dressing room, they face a huge fight to retain a place on Europe's top table next season.
The Italian laid into his players during a series of explosive post-match interviews after the Southampton game, in which he questioned their desire and attitude, with huge concerns having been raised at board level over how the rant affected the squad's morale.
'They are used to it here,' fumed Conte after a 3-3 draw at St Mary's. '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.
'I said I wanted to see the fire and I have not seen it. I said that I want to see the fire in their eyes, in their hearts. I want to see the right spirit. Not only in the training session, but on the
