Cristian Stellini has been sacked as interim Head Coach of Tottenham Hotspur.
Assistant Head Coach, Stellini had taken brief charge of Spurs on five occasions this season when Antonio Conte had been unavailable, firstly due to suspension against Marseille in their final group match of this season’s Champions League in November 2022.
He then took interim charge when Conte needed gallbladder surgery in February, during which he led the club to three league wins at home with clean sheets plus a shock FA Cup exit in the Fifth Round at Sheffield United – who eventually went on to lose to Manchester City in the semi-finals.
Stellini once again found himself promoted to the hotseat after Conte was sacked during last month’s international break, yet could only guide Spurs to four points during his four matches in proper interim charge.
Spurs’ 6-1 mauling away to Newcastle yesterday (23 April) ultimately proved the final straw for Chairman – Daniel Levy, as the club slipped six points behind the Magpies and Manchester United in the race for a Premier League top-four finish.
Levy consequently opted to dismiss Stellini and his coaching staff with immediate effect, having stepped in during what Levy described as ‘a difficult point in our season’ but praised him for his ‘professional manner’ over the last month.
Addressing yesterday’s shambolic display in which the club conceded five goals in the opening 21 minutes, Levy commented: “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable. It was devastating to see.
“We can look at many reasons why it happened and whilst myself, the Board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.”
Levy also confirmed that Ryan Mason has been appointed as Head Coach with immediate effect, due to his knowledge of the club and players, with his coaching staff set to be finalised in the coming days.
Led by Levy, club officials met with players today to discuss their performance and iterated following discussions that the playing squad ‘is determined to pull together to ensure the strongest possible finish to the season.’
Mason’s first match in charge sees Spurs host Man Utd in a crucial clash on Thursday 27 April at 8:15pm BST, live on BT Sport 1 in the UK.
Leave a Reply