Tottenham duo Richarlison and Cristian Romero had reportedly given the club hierarchy an ultimatum, stating that they did not want to continue playing under the management of Antonio Conte.
The news comes after Conte was sacked on Sunday, following his outburst at the players and club owners, accusing them of being selfish and lacking ambition.
The Daily Mail previously reported that the relationship between the players and the manager had been deteriorating for quite some time. The players were reportedly not happy with his training methods and his passive style of play, and had even pleaded with him to let them be more expansive in their attack.
Conte’s relationship with Richarlison also suffered earlier this year when the Brazilian publicly criticised the manager for not starting him against AC Milan in the Champions League.
The pair had a war of words, with Conte accusing Richarlison of being selfish and agreeing with him that his season had been “sh**y”.
Now, Argentine journalist Gaston Edul has revealed to Tyc Sports that Richarlison and Romero threatened to quit the club if Conte was not sacked.
He confirmed that the players relationship with the manager was “very bad”, to the point where they had made it clear to the Spurs hierarchy that they did not want to play under Conte.
He said (quotes via Daily Mail):
“Conte’s relationship with the squad was very bad, it’s needless to say, it’s something that we could see in his words.”
“Some players had given an ultimatum in case he continued. Now the outlook of Tottenham changed.”
“Cristian Romero was rethinking about his stay at the club if Conte remained. As I understand it, the same thing happened with Richarlison”
“Because he treated them very badly, not only face to face or in a private environment but also publicly. Conte publicly criticised the players and that caused friction. But now Romero is going to stay at Tottenham, that’s the plan.”
With the Italian now sacked, Richarlison and Romero will be relieved. For now, Cristian Stellini will take charge of the club with Ryan Mason as assistant.
A new manager will then be appointed in the summer, with a number of candidates linked, including Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, and Julian Nagelsmann. Tottenham fans will be hoping for a fresh start under new management, with Richarlison and Romero now back on board.
Richarlison will hope to find his form back under a new manager, having only scored two goals for the club since his move from Everton for a club record fee. Both of those goals came against Marseille.
Tottenham’s next match is against Richarlison’s former club Everton on Monday night.
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