Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly ready to sack head coach Antonio Conte during the international break.
The 53-year-old is facing an uncertain future in North London following the club's dip in form as well as his scathing comments aimed at his "selfish" players and the club's hierarchy after the 3-3 Premier League draw at Southampton last weekend.
"We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, players that don't want to help each other and don't put their heart [into it]," Conte said at a post-match press conference. "This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve.
"They don't play for something important. They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here.
"I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment. Until now I try to hide the situation but now, no, because I repeat I don't want to see what I have seen today.
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"Everyone has to take responsibility. Not only the club, the manager and the staff. The players have to be involved in this situation because it is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change. They can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me."
Spurs have been knocked out of both the Champions League and FA Cup this month, and have won only three of their last nine matches in all competitions, while they are clinging on to fourth spot in the Premier League, with fifth-placed Newcastle United sitting just two points behind with two games in hand.
Conte is due to see his contract at Tottenham expire at the end of the season, but he may be heading for the exit door early, with some first-team players allegedly in favour of the Italian being relieved of his duties imminently.
According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are set to hold internal discussions with Conte regarding his exit from the club, with Levy prepared to sack the former Chelsea boss during this month's international break.
The report adds that talks over a possible compensation package – believed to be worth around £4m – have already taken place, but an agreement is yet to have been reached.
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Should both parties reach an agreement, a swift departure is said to be on the cards for Conte, and first-team coach Ryan Mason could be the man to step in on a temporary basis.
The 31-year-old was previously placed in caretaker charge of Spurs in the closing stages of the 2020-21 campaign following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho.
Mason has led team training at Hotspur Way this week in the absence of Conte, who recently returned to his family home in Turin.
Tottenham are understood to have already put together a shortlist of potential candidate to replace Conte, with the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique, Oliver Glasner, Ruben Amorim, Roberto De Zerbi and Marco Silva all said to be on their radar.
Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has also been linked with a return to North London, four years after his dismissal, but Levy allegedly has reservations over re-appointing the Argentine.
Tottenham are back in action when they travel to Goodison Park to face relegation-threatened Everton in the Premier League on April 3.
Oliver Thomas
