Conte sack: Tottenham make final decision with head coach ‘expected to agree departure this week’

Lewis Oldham
Tottenham will sack Conte

Tottenham have reportedly decided that they will get rid of Antonio Conte ‘this week’ following the manager’s outburst after the draw vs Southampton.

Spurs surrendered a two-goal lead against Southampton over the weekend. The Londoners were 3-1 in front but James Ward-Prowse’s late penalty earned the hosts a point.

Conte was unable to hide his anger after the game as he accused his Spurs players of being “selfish”.

“I think it’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team. We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart [into it]. This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve.”

He added: “They don’t play for something important, yeah. 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, 20 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. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment. Until now I try to hide the situation but now, no, because I repeat I don’t want to see what I have seen today.

“Everyone has to take their responsibility. Not only the club, the manager and the staff. The players have to be involved in this situation because it is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change. They can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.”

Conte is out of contract in the summer. Spurs have the option to extend his deal in the summer but recent reports have suggested that the two parties will go their separate ways before next season.

The Telegraph are now reporting that Spurs are ‘set to part ways with Conte’. The manager’s departure is ‘expected to be agreed this week’.

The report notes that Conte has flown back to Italy with the ‘the situation is rated as pretty much irretrievable by a variety of sources involved’.

‘The most likely scenario’ is that Conte will go this week and Ryan Mason will then ‘be put in temporary charge until the end of the season in time for Tottenham’s next game against Everton on April 3’.

The report adds: ‘Conte spoke with Levy after hitting out at the mentality of the players and reiterated the fact his criticism was for the squad and not aimed at the Spurs chairman or the club.

‘But Conte will not back down from his comments on the squad and insiders believe that makes it almost impossible for him to return to the Tottenham job for the remainder of the season.’

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