Former Premier League cult-hero Paolo Di Canio has given his assessment of the departure of Antonio Conte from his job as coach of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.
The former Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Charlton striker believes that Conte had done everything to get himself sacked rather than leave his position voluntarily.
Conte had called out his employers in North London during an extraordinary rant after the 3-3 draw with Southampton in March, which turned out to be his final game in charge of Spurs.
Di Canio told Sky Sport Italia that: “Antonio did everything to get himself sacked and not resign. It’s all legitimate, he didn’t want to give up on an important contract.”
The 54-year-old also spoke of the incident after the Southampton game which put the final nail in the coffin of Conte’s Tottenham exit.
He went on to tell Sky that he was ‘sorry’ for the manner in which the former Juventus and Azzurri coach left the club.
“His words were a little instinctive and a little calculated towards a club that has paid him a lot and didn’t betray him. The discontent was legitimate, maybe he misses Italy. I’m sorry for how it happened,” he said.