After months of mounting tension, Antonio Conte's tumultuous relations with Tottenham Hotspur ultimately reached a breaking point on Sunday, prompting the North Londoners to announce that they had formally 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.
"We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement," Tottenham said in a statement.
"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," the statement added.
Conte's assistant Cristian Stellini, who stood in for several games while Conte was recovering from surgery, takes over the first team, supported by former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason, until the end of the season, the club informed.
"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," chairman Daniel Levy said in the statement.
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.
The reality is, however, that there has been a growing sense of drift since Tottenham's strong finish to last season enabled them to finish in fourth place in the table.
Tottenham, who have not won a trophy since 2008, lost to second-tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round this month, went out of the Champions League to AC Milan with a whimper before throwing away victory at Southampton.
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.
"Tottenham's story is this – 20 years there is this owner (Levy) and they never won anything. Why?" Conte said. "The fault is with the club, or every manager that stays here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. It is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change. If they want to continue this way, they can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change."
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 demeanor has suggested he had little stomach to extend his stay.
The 53-year-old, who replaced the short-lived Nuno Espirito-Santo in November 2021, was in charge of 76 matches for Tottenham, winning 41 and losing 23.
He has endured an emotional few months with the death of three close friends, Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli.
Worked wonders
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.
But while Arsenal are now favorites to win the title, Tottenham have regressed and Conte's rigid style of football has tested the patience of the fans.
Things reached a head when they barely created a chance against Milan in a 0-0 draw in north London after losing the away leg 1-0 in the San Siro.
After the Champions League exit, Conte, who had returned to the technical area after gallbladder surgery, indicated that the club could bid him farewell before his contract expired.
A win over Nottingham Forest offered some optimism but the draw at Southampton opened old wounds.
Conte is the second serial-winning manager to leave the club in little more than three years after they also sacked Jose Mourinho two years ago after he was brought in to replace the hugely popular Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino, fired in 2019 just months after leading the club to the Champions League final, is tipped for a possible return while Julian Nagelsmann, sacked by Bayern Munich this week, is also a candidate for the job.