Jose’s ‘real passion’ pledge
– Jose Mourinho (right) promised “real passion” following his appointment as Tottenham Hotspur boss after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by the struggling Premier League club.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager was announced as the new boss at White Hart Lane hours after the Argentine was dismissed on Tuesday evening.
“I couldn’t be happier and look forward to the challenge,” Mourinho told Tottenham’s official website.
“What can I promise? Passion, real passion. Passion for my job, but also passion for my club, that’s the way I have been all my career.”
The 56-year-old, who had been out of work since leaving United last December, signed a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season after Spurs acted to halt their slide down the table.
The club reached the Champions League final last season but are languishing in 14th spot in the Premier League after picking up just three wins from 12 games. They are 11 points off the top four positions which allow qualification to European club football’s top competition.
“I want to try, obviously, everything to bring happiness to everyone who loves
London
the club,” added the new manager, who has won domestic league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.
Mourinho took training on Wednesday ahead of his first press conference yesterday. His first game in charge is at West Ham tomorrow.
His glittering CV includes Champions League titles with Porto and Inter Milan.
He also won three Premier League titles over two spells in charge of Chelsea, and returned to England to manage Manchester United in 2016, where he won the Europa League and the League Cup.
“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football,” said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. “He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician.
“He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”
Mourinho was sacked by United last December and has been without a club since, most recently working as a TV pundit.
Despite his troubles in the latter stages of his tenure at Old Trafford he remains a big name, but is a divisive figure and there will be questions over whether his pragmatic style can mesh with Tottenham’s tradition of attacking football. –