Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could be out of a job by the end of the international break, according to sources from the club.
The Italian, who is only a few months from completing his 18-month contract which he signed with the club in December of 2021, could see himself out earlier than agreed.
This comes on the back of his legendary outburst after last weekend’s 3 – 3 draw at Southampton which further jeopardised their chances of finishing strongly in the league this season.
Spurs went away to Saint Mary’s Stadium for three points to solidify their place in the league’s top four. They ended up conceding three goals to their bottom-of-the-table hosts and gave Newcastle United a way back into the top four. The gap between them and the Magpies is now down to two points. Spurs also have to face Brighton and Hove Albion, Newcastle and Manchester United in the coming weeks, which puts them in an even more dangerous spot.
Conte took out his frustrations on the team, the club’s ownership, and the fans in his post match comments and the viral moment has gotten to the upper management of the club, led by Daniel Levy. The English businessman is now believed to be preparing to fire the Italian in the course of the international break which ends in two weeks.
Conte gave his staff a few days off after the demoralising draw and returned to Italy to spend time with his family. He will be back at the club’s grounds on Wednesday to continue working, but these may be his last moments at the Premier League club.
The former Juventus manager has clarified, however, that his comments were only made out to his players and not the members of the board as the media had made it out to be. However, the clarification seems too little, too late for the man as the decision to let him go was reportedly being mulled over long before the epic outburst.
Levy is said to have held off on the decision as he still trusted Conte to be able to help the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season after all their failures this season. However, it seems Ryan Mason will have to step in again to run the team until the end of the season like he did after they parted ways with José Mourinho back in 2020.
Spurs’ players are expected back at the club on Tuesday after their day off but it is likely they will be working with Mason going forward.
