Antonio Conte has left Tottenham by mutual consent, a week on from criticising the club and players in a remarkable outburst, with assistant Cristian Stellini to take charge until the end of the season.
Conte hit out after Spurs blew a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw away to rock-bottom Southampton last Saturday, calling his players "selfish" and questioning Tottenham's lack of success during Daniel Levy's time as chairman,
He was reportedly asked by Levy and club chiefs to clarify those comments, apparently insisting his "20 years and they never won something" comment was aimed at the players, rather than his bosses.
But seemingly Conte's position had become untenable, with Spurs confirming the Italian's departure on Sunday, eight days on from his public tirade.
"We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement," a Spurs statement read.
"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."
Conte already looked likely to leave Spurs in June when his contract was set to expire.
Media reports earlier this month suggested neither Conte nor Spurs wanted to extend the arrangement.
Fans had long been frustrated by the brand of football introduced by the former Chelsea boss, and recent results only made the atmosphere more toxic.
While Conte was absent after having gallbladder surgery, Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United on March 1, and a week later they were eliminated from the Champions League after a limp 0-0 draw at home to Milan, who had beaten them 1-0 in San Siro.
Although Spurs defeated Nottingham Forest 3-1 on March 11 to earn some momentary respite, their late collapse at St Mary's – followed by Conte's extraordinary rant – proved the final straw.
Conte departs with Spurs still firmly immersed in the race for Champions League qualification, sitting fourth in the Premier League.
However, Liverpool and Newcastle United – seven and two points behind respectively – have two games in hand.
Former Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino is among those linked with succeeding Conte, while Luis Enrique, Marco Silva and Julian Nagelsmann – officially sacked by Bayern Munich on Saturday – are also said to be contenders.
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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