Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham as Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason take charge

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has left with immediate effect, the north London club announced on Sunday night.

Conte’s position had been under severe scrutiny following his extraordinary rant last weekend, when he called his players ‘selfish’ and also hit out at the club’s hierarchy following a period of 20 years without success.

That was after Spurs had left a 3-1 lead slip at bottom club Southampton and it proved to be the last straw as his exit was announced on Sunday.

“We can announce that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left the Club by mutual agreement,” Tottenham said on their website.

“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.”

Spurs revealed that assitant coach Stellini will take over on an interim basis, helped by Ryan Mason.

“Cristian Stellini will take the team as Acting Head Coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as Assistant Head Coach.”

And there was also a message from chairman Daniel Levy, who said: “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.”

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Ben Hayward is Weekend Editor for FourFourTwo. A European football writer with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world – including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa América – and has spent much of that time in Spain. He currently divides his time between Barcelona and London.