Cristian Stellini will likely take charge of Tottenham Hotspur in light of Antonio Conte’s absence, but who is the Italian coach?
We’re only a few hours out of the transfer window and Tottenham fans are probably still looking at clips of Pedro Porro on Instagram.
Yet those same Tottenham fans have now been dealt a shock piece of news.
Spurs have today confirmed that manager Conte has been diagnosed with cholecystitis and will now undergo surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Conte will now have a ‘period of recuperation’ and won’t be managing Tottenham for the foreseeable future.
There is no timeframe given on Conte’s return and he will be missing from the dugout for upcoming games.
Football London note that Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini is now likely to take first-team duties at Tottenham.
Some will recognise Stellini from being Conte’s right-hand man, but just who is Tottenham’s expected interim boss?
Who is Tottenham’s Cristian Stellini?
Stellini was a defender in his playing days, turning out for the likes of Novara, SPAL, Ternana and Como in Italy.
A move to Modena materialised in 2003, but Stellini barely played and finished up his career with Genoa and Bari.
Conte was in charge of Bari back in 2007, so he signed Stellini – and that started a long partnership between the pair.
When Stellini decided to hang up his boots, Conte brought him to Siena as a coach in 2010 and then on to Juventus a year later.
Stellini was forced to resign from his post in 2012 though and was suspended from coaching for two-and-a-half years due to his role in a match-fixing scandal in Italy.
Stellini returned in a coaching role at Genoa in 2015 before being picked to manage Alessandria, who were then in Serie C.
That role didn’t go so well for Stellini, winning just twice in 14 games before being sacked.
Conte and Stellini were back together again in 2019 at Inter Milan, and it was no great surprise when Stellini followed Conte to Tottenham last season.
The pair have a great relationship and Stellini has often filled in for him in press conferences and even in the dugout against Marseille in the Champions League, with Conte banned.
Stellini now faces some huge games, firstly against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, though possibly in the Champions League against AC Milan too.
Stellini will have learned plenty from Conte and will hope to keep Tottenham moving forward even with Conte missing.
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