Tottenham Hotspur announced late Sunday that they have parted way with Antonio Conte "by mutual agreement", with former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann tipped as his long-term replacement.
Conte's turbulent 16 months in charge of the North London club reached a nadir when the Italian launched an extraordinary post-match rant following a 3-3 draw at Southampton on March 18, a game in which Spurs blew a 3-1 lead.
Spurs announced that assistant coach Cristian Stellini will oversee the first-team until the end of the season, but with Nagelsmann on the market following his sacking from Bayern Munich on Friday, it is thought the club are considering the highly-rated 35-year-old German coach as a more long-term option to succeed Conte.
"We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement," a club statement read.
"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."
Conte leaves with Spurs fourth in the Premier League, but only two points above fifth-placed Newcastle United, who have two games in hand on the London side in the race for Champions League qualification.
Stellini previously stood in for Conte on the touchline this season when the Italian was recovering from gallbladder surgery.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy added: "We have 10 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."
Conte won league titles in his previous three spells in club management at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, but was unable to end Tottenham's 15-year wait to win a major trophy.
His contract was due to expire at the end of the season.
Conte labelled his players "selfish" and accused them of not being able to perform under pressure in an extraordinary tirade after the draw against Southampton.
He also took aim at Tottenham's long trophy drought and pinned the blame on a culture of repeatedly changing managers.
Southampton v Spurs ratings
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SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Gavin Bazunu - 6 Made seven saves to keep Southampton in the game at crucial points. Could do little about the goals. Getty -
Kyle Walker-Peters - 5 His good range of passing was crucial in helping the Saints beat Spurs’ high press early in the game. Had a tough time against Ivan Perisic in the second half. AP -
Romain Perraud - 6 His low cross after three minutes caused chaos in the Tottenham area. Was nowhere to be seen when Pedro Porro found space on his wing to score the opener. Action Images -
Armel Bella-Kotchap - N/A Had to go off after just eight minutes due to an injury. AFP -
Jan Bednarek - 6 Started well but just like his centre-back partner, Bednarek had to leave the pitch in the first half due to broken ribs. Getty -
James Ward-Prowse - 8 Had two good chances from the edge of the box before the ten-minute mark but failed to test Forster. Began the move that led to Walcott’s goal with a well-weighted cross into the penalty area. Kept his cool to slot his late penalty into the top corner and earn Southampton a share of the spoils. AFP -
Romeo Lavia - 7 Looked solid in midfield and helped break up attacks. Found Walcott with a pass that cut through Spurs‘ backline en route to Southampton’s equaliser. Getty -
Theo Walcott - 9 A thorn in the flesh of Spurs defenders in the first half as they struggled to deal with his pace and movement. Rewarded for his hard work when he found Che Adams in the box for Southampton’s equaliser. Got Southampton back into game with a close-range finish to bring the score to 3-2. Action Images -
Stuart Armstrong - 7 Dropped back into midfield to help out in the first half. Got more involved in attack in the second half but didn't really trouble Forster. AP -
Mohamed Elyounoussi - 7 Skipped past three challenges and set up Perraud for a cross in the 15th minute. Linked up well with Perraud on the left-hand side to cause Tottenham problems. AP -
Che Adams - 8 Almost deflected Ward-Prowse’s shot goalwards early on. Showed excellent composure to draw Southampton level despite pressure from two Spurs defenders. AFP -
SUBS: Mohammed Salisu (Bella-Kochap, 8) - 6 Got beaten far too easily on the edge of his penalty area by Kulusevski in the 27th minute. Crucial block against Kane to deny him from point-blank range after the half-hour mark. AP -
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Bednarek, 34) - 8 His low centre of gravity cost him as Kane jumped above him to head Spurs into the lead. He almost atoned for his error with a shot that Forster tipped over the bar in the 77th minute. Won the penalty that Ward-Prowse scored to drag Southampton level in added time. AP -
Sekou Mara (Che Adams, 70) - 7 Set up Walcott’s goal with a header back into the danger area. Almost drew Southampton level two minutes later but was denied by Forster. AFP -
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Elyounoussi, 70) - 6 Caused plenty of problems for Pedro Porro after coming on. Action Images -
Carlos Alvarez (Armstrong, 70) - 6 Denied by a good block from Hojberg in the 89th minute. Getty -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Fraser Forster - 6 Made a good save to deny Perraud in the 72nd minute. Made a better save to deny Niles from the edge of the box soon after. AFP -
Clement Lenglet - 5 Struggled to deal with Walcott’s runs in behind the Spurs backline in the first half. Had a chance to grab the winner with the last touch of the game but he placed his header high and wide. AFP -
Christian Romero - 7 Made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Ward-Prowse the chance to play Walcott through on goal in the 33rd minute. Showed great awareness to stop Elyounoussi the getting on the end of Walcott’s cross soon after. AP -
Eric Dier - 5 Should have scored when Kulsevski found him with a beautiful cross in the first half. Got beaten in air by Sekou Mara in the build up to Southampton’s second goal. Getty -
Ben Davies - 6 Wasn’t as adventurous as Porro but carried out his defensive duties well. Picked up an injury and had to leave the field before the break. Getty -
Pedro Porro - 7 Should have done better to keep his shot on target when Kulsevski found him in the box early on. Sliced another shot high on his left foot soon after. Finally got it right and put Spurs ahead with a shot into the top corner on the stroke of half-time. PA -
Oliver Skipp - 6 Made a last-ditch tackle to stop Armstrong from running through on goal in the 56th minute. Impressed with his passing until he was replaced late in the game. Getty -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 6 Worked hard in the middle of the pitch but struggled when Saints piled on the pressure in the second half. Getty -
Richarlison - N/A Disappointed to come off after just five minutes due to an injury. Getty -
Son Heung-min - 6 Displayed good vision to find Porro for Tottenham’s opener. Frustrated by blocks from Southampton’s centre-backs in the second half. PA -
Harry Kane - 7 Surprisingly decided against crossing to his strike partner Son when he was played into space on the right-hand side. Made the wrong decision to shoot when Son seem to be in a better position at the hour mark. Finally got his goal via a glancing header in the 64th minute. AP -
SUBS: Dejan Kulusevski (Richarlison, 5) - 8 Created two good chances in quick succession for Dier and Porro a few minutes after coming on. Assisted Tottenham’s second goal with a beautiful cross that found Kane in the box. Getty -
Ivan Perisic (Davies, 37) - 8 Offered more in attack after replacing Davies. Grabbed Spurs’ third goal with a bouncing shot that left the goalkeeper with no chance. Action Images -
Pape Sarr (Kulusevski, 86) - N/A Caught Maitland-Niles with a high foot and gave away a penalty three minutes after coming on. AFP -
Emerson Royal (Pedro Porro, 86) - N/A. PA
Conte arrived at Spurs in November 2021 with the reputation of a ruthless serial winner who could transform the fortunes of a club whose last English league title was in 1961.
There was an initial impact as an upturn in form in the second half of last season saw Spurs edge out North London rivals Arsenal to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.
However, there is a 20-point gap between the two this season as the Gunners close in on a first league title in 19 years.
Conte had to undergo emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder last month, which forced him to take two spells away from the touchline to recover.
But his return did not have the desired effect in galvanising his players, who had lost 1-0 to second-tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round in his absence.
Spurs crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage after a disappointing 1-0 aggregate defeat to AC Milan.
Nagelsmann's shock sacking at Bayern Munich last week comes after less than two years in charge of Germany's most-decorated team and with them challenging on domestic and European fronts.
Bayern's quest for an 11th Bundesliga title in a row suffered a blow on Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen.
That setback saw them drop to second in the Bundesliga, a point behind arch rivals Borussia Dortmund and four ahead of surprise challengers Union Berlin in third.
