Antonio Conte

Tottenham sacks Stellini after pounding at Newcastle

Tottenham is making another managerial change, as it gets rid of Cristian Stellini. The Italian coach was only at the head of the club on an interim basis. He was part of Antonio Conte’s staff, but he did serve in a caretaker role at Spurs before Conte’s sacking.

However, that prior stint was far more fruitful than his current spot. Following the weekend’s result, the Evening Standard expressed “serious doubt” from the Tottenham hierarchy over the future of Stellini’s spot in the dugout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The belief is that Stellini lost the confidence of the players. That much was evident in the first 21 minutes against Newcastle. Spurs conceded five times in that span in an eventual 6-1 loss in the north of England.

The punishment for Stellini was swift. Even though Spurs only have six games remaining, the club dismissed the manager this week. The Italian is now out of the club with a home game against Manchester United on Thursday. After that, Tottenham has a trip to Anfield, which could put the club’s European hopes to bed.

As of now, Stellini’s Tottenham plunged from fourth to fifth, now facing a six-point deficit with both Newcastle and Manchester United for fourth. On top of that, Newcastle has played one fewer game than Spurs, and Manchester United played one fewer than that. Aston Villa, Liverpool and Brighton, which has played three fewer games than Tottenham, are nipping at the heels of an ailing Spurs side.

Tottenham not appointing permanent replacement for Stellini

The replacement for Stellini is a familiar face. Ryan Mason, who served as an interim manager of Spurs in the past, is taking the reigns of the club for the remainder of the season.

After Tottenham sacked Jose Mourinho in the 2020/21 season, Mason did enough to get the club a spot in the Europa Conference League for the next season. At the time, he was the youngest manager of a Premier League club in history at the age of 29.

In terms of a permanent manager, Spurs are in the running for some major names. Mauricio Pochettino could make a return, and the club is looking into Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and more options. However, these managers would not arrive until the summer. That way, they would have a fresh slate and a fresh summer to make squad changes of their choosing.

PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images

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