The final nail in the coffin of Andre Villas-Boas at Tottenham Hotspur reportedly came when he ruled out the possibility of recalling Emmanuel Adebayor.
Villas-Boas's contract was terminated following a meeting with chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Franco Baldini on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after Spurs had been thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool.
According to The Independent, during the meeting it was suggested that Villas-Boas should consider implementing a different tactical approach after watching his side score just 15 goals in 16 Premier League games.
The newspaper claims that, while Adebayor's name was not mentioned by either Levy or Baldini, Villas-Boas assumed that they were hinting that the Togo forward should feature more often.
It is reported that the 36-year-old said that there was no possibility of him recalling the striker and that this action convinced Levy to sack the 36-year-old.
Adebayor has played just 45 minutes of first-team football since May, with Villas-Boas selecting just one striker at a time and alternating between Jermain Defoe and Roberto Soldado.
In September, Adebayor was made to train with Tottenham's development squad.
