Antonio Conte's increasingly fractious relationship with Tottenham Hotspur came to an end with the Premier League club announcing they had parted ways with the Italian.
The writing had been on the wall since last weekend after Conte's furious reaction to a 3-3 draw with Southampton in the Premier League — after which he lambasted his players.
Conte's assistant Cristian Stellini, who stood in for several games while the head coach was recovering from surgery, takes over the first team, supported by former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason, until the end of the season, the club said. Conte leaves with Tottenham in fourth place in the Premier League and still well-placed to challenge for a top-four finish and qualify for the Champions League.
After that draw, which left Tottenham only two points above Newcastle United having played two games more, Conte accused his players of being selfish, lacking team spirit and even appeared to aim a shot at the club's hierarchy. Conte, who managed Juventus and Inter Milan to Serie A titles and Chelsea to the Premier League title, was out of contract in June and his demeanour has suggested he had little stomach to extend his stay.
The mood was far different at the end of last season with Conte having worked wonders to turn around Tottenham's fortunes to chase down Arsenal in the hunt for fourth place.