Antonio Conte, the embattled Tottenham Hotspur manager who questioned the club’s ambitions and ridiculed the players’ mentality in a scathing rant following last weekend’s 3-3 draw at Southampton, is expected to leave the north London outfit later this week, sources told The Telegraph’s Matt Law.

Assistant coach Ryan Mason, who played for Spurs from 2008-16, is reportedly considered the strongest candidate to replace Conte on an interim basis.

Earlier Monday, The Guardian’s David Hytner reported Conte would leave the club no later than the summer when his contract with Tottenham is set to expire. However, a dressing-room source told Hytner that several players would welcome an immediate coaching change.

Conte unleashed a tirade after his players blew a 3-1 lead in the final 15 minutes of their match against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. The setback came just over a week after AC Milan knocked Tottenham out of the Champions League in the round of 16.