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.
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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.