Late on Sunday evening, the news finally broke that many Tottenham supporters had been waiting to see all week with the departure of Antonio Conte announced. At the start of the international break it was widely reported that Tottenham and Conte were set to part ways, and with the just over 90 minutes of that week remaining, the news was confirmed.
The full club statement read: "We can announce that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left the Club by mutual agreement. 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." 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.”
READ MORE: Antonio Conte's last words as Tottenham head coach shows why Daniel Levy had no other option
Although the statement was just a few paragraphs long, there is so much to unpack. Firstly, the decision of his dismissal being confirmed as a "mutual agreement" indicates what many thought to be true in that Conte wanted to leave Tottenham and after his explosive post-Southampton rant, Levy had no desire to see him remain at the club even though it was expected he would depart at the end of the season once his contract had expired.
On the topic of Levy, his comments in that statement following the departure of Conte compared to one of his predecessors, Jose Mourinho, speaks significant volumes over how his relationship with the Italian had broken down. When Mourinho departed in February 2021, Levy wrote: "Jose is a true professional and showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both envisaged. He will always be welcome here."
The final interesting thing to note from Tottenham's statement, released at 10:20pm on Sunday, was the confirmation regarding who would take interim charge. Many expected Ryan Mason, who was placed in the role after the sacking of Mourinho, to resume that position, but instead Conte's assistant coach Cristian Stellini will be the one to assume first-team responsibilities as head coach alongside Mason as his assistant.
Stellini is very much considered to be Conte's right-hand man having followed him throughout much of his managerial career. However, Conte and his brother Gianluca are the only two members of the backroom team to be departing.
Tottenham confirming that Stellini and Mason would be running things until the end of the season may also hint at who the next permanent manager will be. Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino, two names heavily linked with the job are currently out of work and are thought to be ready to make their management return as soon as possible with both open to taking over in north London.
Meanwhile, another possible replacement is Julian Nagelsmann, who, while also being out of work was never likely to take over immediately. The young German coach was only sacked by Bayern Munich on Friday and according to the Telegraph is keen to "collect his thoughts" first before deciding his next move.
It has also been claimed by German news outlet Bild, that any club wanting to appoint Nagelsmann before the end of the season would have to pay a hefty fee to Bayern. Therefore, if Tottenham wish to welcome the 35-year-old to Hotspur Way it will likely be a summer appointment and if he is their desired target, that would explain the decision to confirm that Mason and Stellini will be in charge until May 28, 2023 at the earliest.
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