With 10 games left to protect a fragile hold on Champions League qualification, Tottenham Hotspur have parted ways with their manager Antonio Conte.
The departure of Conte had been signalled, mainly by the Italian himself, with his scathing remarks after a two-goal lead was let slip at Southampton 11 days ago, but if there is genuine relief among some of the Spurs players he criticised that he is gone, the weeks ahead look perilous.
For the remainder of a Premier League campaign in which six clubs are in a genuine tussle for two top-four spots – behind Arsenal and Manchester City – Spurs will be guided by an interim coach whose last senior managerial experience over a sustained sequence of matches was in Italy’s third division more than five years ago.
He is Cristian Stellini, elevated from his role as assistant following the weekend announcement of Conte’s immediate departure from North London.
Stellini is said to be liked and respected by players, as is his interim assistant, former Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason, but the challenge facing Stellini is considerable.
Spurs sit two points above fifth-placed Newcastle United, but have played two matches more than Eddie Howe’s team. Liverpool, Brighton and Brentford, gathered just below Newcastle on 42 points to Tottenham’s 49, also have games in hand on Spurs, three games in the case of upwardly mobile Brighton.
All of which featured in Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s calculations as he last week weighed up whether or not to stick with Conte for the remainder of his contract, which was to expire in June.
He knew the bad-tempered press conference the Italian gave after the draw at Southampton had severed a bond with senior players. Conte called them, without naming names, “selfish players who don’t want to help each other, don’t put their heart [into matches]”.
He very pointedly offered no solutions. “This season compared to last? We are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve. They [the club] can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change, believe me.”
It sounded like not just the angry first draft of a resignation letter, but a bitter warning to any successor.
Quiet, amicable departures have never been Conte’s style as an elite club manager, but nor has quitting without a medal to endorse his work. Not since his brief stint at Atalanta in 2009-10 has Conte left a top-division club without having gained a league title while there.
At Juventus there were three Serie A scudetti in as many seasons, at Chelsea a Premier League crown in his first experience of English football, and at Internazionale he in 2021 delivered a league title after the club had gone 11 years without one.
That record guarantees Conte will have attractive offers now he is back on a managerial marketplace that looks suddenly better stocked than it did five days ago, when Bayern Munich were abruptly preparing to replace Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel.
Spurs and Levy had been monitoring Tuchel. They have a past interest in Nagelsmann, which they are reopening as they look for possible long or even medium-term replacements for Conte, who became Tottenham’s fourth departing manager in the space of three-and-a-half years, his exit full of echoes of when Jose Mourinho was asked to leave on the eve of a League Cup final appearance in 2021.
Tottenham, who have not won significant silverware since 2008, lost that final under the caretaker charge of Mason; Mourinho, like Conte, lasted just over 500 days as Spurs manager. Like Conte, he left the premises without a medal. It is the only managerial job of the eight Mourinho has held in the last 20 years that finished trophyless.
Southampton v Tottenham player 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
Those precedents, ominous though Conte made them sound, are understood not to put off Nagelsmann, who at 35, and with a Bundesliga title – with Bayern – and a Champions League semi-final – with RB Leipzig in 2020 – already on his CV, is keen to work in the Premier League.
So is Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona manager, who left the Spain national team job in December. A return for Mauricio Pochettino, who left Spurs after five largely exhilarating years there in 2019 and has been free since quitting Paris Saint-Germain last summer, would appeal to many in the Tottenham fan base.
And the brochure Levy presents to any candidate has huge attractions: a magnificent new stadium, and one of the most admired centre-forwards in the world, in Harry Kane, who just as the final details of Conte’s departure were being agreed on Sunday was extending his record as the England national team’s all-time greatest goalscorer.
Persuading Kane, whose contract expires in 2024, to remain at the club he grew up with is a Tottenham priority.
Guarantees of Champions League football and a coach with the capacity and ambition to lead Spurs to silverware will be key factors in Kane’s decisions about his future.
