Tottenham Hotspur duo Richarlison and Cristian Romero reportedly threatened to quit the club if Antonio Conte remained in charge following his post-Southampton rant.
The Lilywhites have experienced one of their most tumultuous months in recent memory, which culminated in Conte leaving by mutual consent on Sunday evening.
Over the past few weeks, Spurs were eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League before letting a 3-1 lead slip to draw 3-3 with basement side Southampton in the Premier League.
Following that draw - which leaves Spurs at risk of dropping out of the top four - Conte astonishingly took aim at his "selfish" players in an explosive press conference.
The Italian claimed to see players who do not put their heart into performances and pointed out the club's lack of silverware during the ENIC era under Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis, although the owners were apparently not the primary target of his tirade.
Unsurprisingly, Conte and Tottenham parted ways over the weekend, and a multitude of Spurs players are believed to be delighted at the prospect of not working under the 53-year-old again.
In fact, according to TyC Sports - via The Mirror - both Romero and Richarlison were particularly irked at Conte's comments and issued a transfer ultimatum to Tottenham.
Both South Americans allegedly said that they would push for transfers elsewhere if Conte was not relieved of his duties or left by other means, but they are now expected to stay as Cristian Stellini sees out the season as acting head coach.
Only a few weeks ago, tensions between Richarlison and Conte memorably boiled over when the former was benched for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with AC Milan.
The Brazilian claimed that his first season in lily-white was "s***" and questioned his demotion to the substitutes bench, and Conte agreed with his terse assessment of his injury-hit campaign.
Even before Conte refused to hold back at St Mary's, Tottenham's players were said to have been growing frustrated with his repetitive training sessions and two kilometre runs just before a game.
Nevertheless, the ex-Chelsea and Inter Milan boss departed with a heartfelt message to supporters on Instagram, writing: "Football is passion. I would like to deeply thank everyone at SPURS who appreciated and shared my passion and my intense way of living football as a coach.
"A special thought to the Fans who always showed me support and appreciation, it's been unforgettable to hear them singing my name. Our journey together has ended, I wish you all the best for the future."
Julian Nagelsmann is said to top a 10-man shortlist of potential successors to Conte following his shock axing from Bayern Munich, but the 35-year-old will not make any decision on his future until the end of the season.
Stellini takes the reins with Tottenham sat fourth in the Premier League table, only two points clear of Newcastle United having played two games more, and they return to action away to Everton on Monday. body check tags ::
