Andre Villas-Boas’s time in charge of faltering English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur came to an end yesterday morning when he told chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Franco Baldini that he would not select Emmanuel Adebayor, despite his side’s chronic lack of goals, it has been revealed.

According to a report this morning in The Independent, “The three men had met at White Hart Lane in the immediate aftermath of the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday night and agreed to meet again the following morning. In the course of their conversation Monday it was intimated to Villas-Boas that he might wish to try a different, more attacking approach to solve the failure to score more than 15 goals in 16 league games.

“Although Adebayor’s name was not mentioned by either Levy or Baldini, the Portuguese head coach took it to be a suggestion that he should recall the Togolese striker. He said that there would be no possibility of him recalling the striker, who has played just 45 minutes this season – the second half of the 6-0 defeat to Manchester City.

“That was the tipping point for Levy to take the decision to sack the 36-year-old head coach. There has been a feeling at the club that Villas-Boas’s behaviour has suggested he has been challenging them to sack him – with his reluctance to budge on certain issues.”

•Photo shows Emmanuel Adebayor.