Brendan Rodgers – and not Jose Mourinho – was Tottenham Hotspur’s first choice to replace Mauricio Pochettino, according to the Daily Mail.
Mourinho was announced as the club’s new head coach this morning, less than 12 hours after Pochettino was sacked after five and a half years.
Jose Mourinho Wages: New Spurs Boss To Earn Double What Poch Did?
The rapid nature of the Portuguese’s appointment was down to what the Daily Mail understands was nearly a month’s worth of discreet negotiations between the former Chelsea boss and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
The report from Adrian Kajumba details that an agreement with Mourinho was in place last week and was only waiting on finalising Pochettino’s compensation, which was eventually settled during a blazing row.
However, the Daily Mail adds that Levy only starting pursuing Mourinho, who had been out of work since his December 2018 sacking by Manchester United, after a failed attempt to prise Brendan Rodgers from Leicester City.
Spurs apparently enquired over the Northern Irishman but were told it was an impossible deal with Rodgers having only joined in February 2019, and taken them to second in the Premier League after 12 games this season.
Rodgers would have been a more natural successor in line with Pochettino’s philosophies but it is no surprise our approach was immediately dismissed.
I have always struggled with the mantra that Pooch is up there with the worlds great coaches. He needs to start winning cups and titles at domestic and international level before he can sit at that table. He positioned the lack of form this season as a knock on effect of losing the CL Final and discontent in the changing room. However our malaise goes back a lot further than that. It goes back to the summer in which he made statements about being brave and then took an enhanced contract and suddenly became very “appy” again. He and Levy took maximum salaries whilst telling some of our best players how they could not be paid market rates.Unsurprisingly players were reluctant to resign and a general sense of decay crept in manifesting the poor form and results. The CL Final was more luck than judgement and then he failed to get the team to rise to even that occasion and at the same time probably destroyed Moura’s attachment to the club by dropping him and playing an unfit Kane. He has been complicit in accepting the ENIC strategy and his utterings both pre and post match have become increasingly nonsensical. ENIC have decided that with him at the helm the club will not qualify for CL and even with Mourinho the chances are it is to late for this season. The other issue is that the players seek two primary benefits. money and success. They certainly haven’t got the best money at the club but they also have no success and in this regard I believe that the players have switched off and stopped believing in Pooch being able to deliver that. How the relationship between Levy and Mourinho pans out remains to be seen. It is a surprising one. Mourinho is a serial winner and the players may have been fond of Pooch but they know Jose is a proven winner and that alone will command respect. He has done it at all levels in the game so I expect to see some bounce effect from them as a result. Levy has according to the press had a desire to see Mourinho at the club for several years. However, Mourinho traditionally has had large budgets to play with and has brought in big name players. There are comments that Levy appointed him because he said he could get a tune out of the existing squad and would bring young players through from the academy if the process in the academy was good enough. That must have sounded like manna from heaven to Levy.There was also commentary that there will be no money available for transfers in January.Has Mourinho in his egotistical desire to return to the public spotlight agreed to operate in this way?.Does he feel after his less than successful recent appointments that he has to prove he is still up there with the greats by turning this squad into a successful unit and doing what Pooch couldn’t ?A motivated and focused Mourinho may be just what this club and its squad of players need to shake them out of their lethargy and set us up for an exciting run of games in the second half of the season. One thing is for sure Mourinho will want to win every match, every competition and has the experience of doing that in the EPL and the CL. Whatever anyone thinks we at last have a winner at the helm.
Mail . Not one Comment from said source . Joe ,you will not find many posters on this Blog that, collect player Autographs, or , still read Shoot.
Another pile of Rubbish . The Daily Star ? Give us all a break Joe , for Christs sake.
Disturbing because it’s all too believable. Just lacks the human skills that men like poch and Rogers possess in abundance, an essential element to maintaining a happy ship. But it’s done now so can only hope he’s learned to take a more conciliatory approach. Otherwise the reign will be nasty, brutish and short.
Eriksen and others beware, “Mourinho’s approach will be a shock to Spurs’ system. It could be exactly what they need – but it is not without risk”. (BBC Sport)
Brenda’s sole claim to fame is winning a one horse race in Scotland. His Liverpool team got found out and it won’t be too long before his Leicester one does.
I have heard things from people very close to the United set up saying he was more toxic behind the scenes than in front. The way he treated lower level staff was disgusting apparently.
Rogers would have been an ideal fit imo and it’s the second time we’ve missed out on him. The first time he was linked he said something to the effect that no coach could succeed under the enic regime at spurs. Lots of revisionist stuff currently being put about why the team has regressed but virtually all within the game are pointing the finger of responsibility at the right person.
As for Mourinho, twice in the past three years, at both Chelsea and Man U, he has been told to get the f away from our players. The very opposite of a legacy appointment and one that I believe enic will quickly have cause to regret.