Antonio Conte sack latest: ‘Selfish’ Tottenham boss hammered by trio as Levy told to ‘put him out of his misery now’
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Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp and Jamie O’Hara all feel that Antonio Conte’s position at Tottenham has become ‘untenable’ and that Daniel Levy needs to call time on his tenure now.
Spurs collapsed late in the game at Southampton on Saturday as they threw away a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes remaining to draw 3-3 at the side sitting bottom of the Premier League table, in what could end up being a decisive blow to their top-four hopes.
Conte was left fuming with his side after the game in his post-match press conference, he accused then being ‘selfish’ and ‘lacking heart’.
The Italian also vented his fury at chairman Daniel Levy and the club’s owners in his brutal assessment of the club as a whole.
Conte now appears to be on the brink of being sacked, and Carragher believes the stunning progression of north London rivals Arsenal this season has made the Tottenham boss’ comments even worse.
Speaking after Conte’s very public rant, the Sky Sports pundit tweeted: “Conte wants to be sacked in this international break. Spurs should just put him out of his misery and do it tonight.
“His point about Spurs not winning for a long time is right. But you don’t speak about your own club like that. “Especially when you’re getting paid fortunes by them!
“The improvement in Arsenal this season after finishing above them last season kills a lot of his arguments.”
Conte position now untenable
Fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp also feels that Conte now faces the axe, even if he agrees with some of what the Italian said.
Redknapp added: “It feels like his position is becoming untenable – I don’t see where he goes from here.
“I felt he was talking his way out of a job after they lost to Nottingham Forest [in the Carabao Cup].
“Tottenham have a history of sacking managers, even before cup finals. When you start singling out players that’s a sure-fire way to lose a dressing room.
“He’s talking mainly about the owners having not when a trophy in 15 years since the current chairman has been in charge. They’ve had 10 or 11 managers. Great managers, but never won anything.
“He feels that whilst the owners are in charge are they ever going to buy the players you need.
“I thought Conte might be the one to get the keys to the kingdom to buy the players he needs. But I think lots of players have been forced upon him.
“Normally in his two or three year periods at clubs, he wins. Even he feels like he can’t win at Tottenham. That is a sorry state.”
Fuming Levy has to pull the trigger
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who has been very vocal about the way his old club have performed under Conte, also feels Levy has to act quickly.
He told Sky Sports: “I can’t believe he’s come out after a game and said that. I think it’s shocking.
“I don’t necessarily disagree with him on some of the things that he said in terms of desire and passion and players not playing for each other, but these things are said in the dressing room after the game, or on a Monday morning, or you speak to Daniel Levy.
“To come out publicly and totally criticise the whole football club I think is outrageous.
“The players are obviously going to hear that interview – he’s bashed them. If you’re digging them out in the media they will turn their back.
“For him to say ‘they’ and not ‘we’ that to me says potentially the players are not playing for him, he’s looking for a way out.
“I don’t think he necessarily wants to be there, and I think the club are going to have to make a huge decision.
“I don’t think Daniel Levy is going to like that interview. If Conte makes next weekend I will be surprised. I think he is looking for a way out.
“He’s talked about being selfish. But he is the one being selfish when you have talked about and are criticising everyone at the club apart from yourself.
“That to me screams alarm bells. And I think Levy will look at the comments he’s made, because he’s included Levy in those comments and say, ‘Enough is enough, we can’t have this from a Tottenham manager’.
“We all wanted it to work out and it hasn’t and it’s just getting a bit sour now.
“Maybe you look at it and go, ‘If we can get a manager in next week like Pochettino, let’s do it now, let’s cut ties and move on’.
“You haven’t got to pay him [Conte] out a four or five-year deal that he’s signed. His contract is up at the end of the season. It’s not going to cost a lot to let him leave. And by the sounds of it, he doesn’t want to be there.”
Tottenham are not back in action until Monday April 3 when they head to Everton. Although the likelihood of Conte being in charge of that game is slim to none.
READ MORE: Glenn Hoddle opens up on Conte future and urges Daniel Levy to make right call over successor