Tottenham players want Conte to leave the team
Conte's harsh remarks aimed at his students after the 3-3 draw at Southampton made the atmosphere of the Tottenham dressing room tense. According to the British newspaper The Athletic, although the club took a two-week break to make room for the national teams to focus, some players waited for Conte to be fired immediately. And the current situation is making the Tottenham leadership awkward.
Sky Sports also quoted a separate source, that the whole Tottenham team thought Conte could not stay longer than the end of this season, and they were looking forward to working with a new coach from the summer of this year. The players were willing to accept responsibility for disappointing results on the pitch, but were outraged when Conte criticized them for being selfish and questioned their commitment to the club.
The two-week break is time for president Daniel Levy to decide whether to penalize Conte or not. The Italian coach made it clear to the board that his angry statement was completely aimed at the player, not at the board. After drawing at Southampton, Conte questioned why the manager and the club should take responsibility for the results on the pitch while the players are exonerated.
According to the schedule, Conte and the group of players who did not return to gather with the national teams were given two days off, before appearing at the training ground on Tuesday, March 21.
No Tottenham player has commented or publicly reacted to Conte's statement. Center-back Cristian Romero and full-back Pedro Porro were the only two active on social media after the Southampton draw and neither mentioned the incident.
According to the Guardian, Conte has difficulty managing the Tottenham dressing room. The 53-year-old military leader even prepared for the scenario to leave before making harsh comments that he considered necessary to revive the spirit of the team. In early March, striker Richarlison once condemned Conte for making him a substitute when Tottenham were eliminated by Milan in the eighth round of the Champions League.
In the event of parting with Conte, Tottenham have a number of candidates to consider. Former coach Mauricio Pochettino is supported by many players and club staff - who believe that only the Argentinian military leader can revive Tottenham. Besides, Luis Enrique - former coach of Barca, Spain team, Oliver Glasner - current coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, and Ruben Amorim - current coach of Sporting Lisbon - are some other names.
Before being held to a draw by Southampton despite taking a two-goal lead, Tottenham were eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League, making them extend the series of empty days since 2008.
