JOSE IN FOR POCH
Mourinho lined up for Tottenham job
JOSE MOURINHO is favourite to bring his win-at-all-costs mentality to Tottenham after Daniel Levy stunned players by sacking Mauricio Pochettino.
The Special One, below, was heavily courted by the Tottenham chairman in 2007 ahead of the departure of Martin Jol but decided his future was abroad after parting company with Chelsea for the first time.
However, his availability, having just engaged in punditry work since leaving Manchester United 11 months ago, is being touted as a reason for Spurs acting
DANIEL LEVY has appointed plenty of really bad managers and sacked some exceedingly good ones.
But by getting rid of Mauricio Pochettino 171 days after he led the club to the Champions League final, the Tottenham chairman has just made his most callous and nonsensical call yet.
The Argentinian has walked away with a pay-off upwards of £12.5million and is a free agent at a time when Real Madrid, Paris SaintGermain and Manchester United could all be about to begin the search for a new boss.
What’s more, he has done it while maintaining the love of the Tottenham faithful, who now see Levy more as the villain.
Who says Pochettino cannot manage? He has managed that scenario perfectly. In the end the board felt they had no choice but to act – although the absence of any explanation as to why they were backed into that corner is notable.There was still the Champions League to play for and plenty of league fixtures coming thick and fast to rediscover some domestic form.
Instead, Tottenham – for all the talk of increasing discord in the dressing room and an ageing group of players no longer completely committed to the manager or the cause – have been rendered rudderless.
Pochettino had steered the ship for five years. He took on a crew who were used to having their collective hope dashed on the rocks of Champions League qualification and, through largely plain sailing, earned them a semi-permanent berth in the lucrative harbour.
Yet everything has come adrift this season with the move to the new stadium. Spurs have struggled to live up expectations set by their palatial new surroundings and there was
PLAYED 293
WON 159
DRAWN 62
LOST 72
Pochettino with Levy and Kane, but failed to get Eriksen, right, firing this season little about their 14th league place going into the international break that suggested a change of course over the Christmas. Pochettino’s success was on persuading his players to join him in build a project – one explained to him by a dressinggown clad Levy in an informal first meeting at the Tottenham chairman’s house when he was first courted in May 2014.
It was a five-year project. This summer, a new project began – establishing rather than building – but it was still the same old players. Suddenly, even the smooth-talking Pochettino could no longer talk them into being paid less and asked for more for the glory of what they were trying to achieve.
At the same time as agents insisted the salaries went up, the work-rate seemed to drop and the high press that got Spurs to where they were, all but disappeared. Top performers who emerged such as Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen have suddenly become just ordinary. Not so much bad – just not the match-winners Pochettino had made them.To compound it all, Pochettino’s charm began to wane. He complained more. He seemed somehow less sure of himself.
But not so much that anybody really sensed it was all going to come to such an abrupt halt.
Levy, though, has a track record of catching his most successful managers unawares.
After clearing his name of tax charges in Southwark Crown Court in 2012, Harry Redknapp, left, thought he was heading into a meeting at the end of the term to negotiate a new contract having made Spurs the team most likely to break the top four quad-ropoly that then existed.
Instead, he was unceremoniously handed his P45. And replaced with Andre Villas-Boas.
Now Levy is looking for his 10th manager in just over 18 years since he inherited Glenn Hoddle in March 2001.
Clearly being second best, whether it be Champions League, Premier League or even Carabao Cup – all of which Pochettino achieved – was no longer on Spurs’ agenda.
However, from that giant new stand, if not the boardroom, Levy is under unprecedented pressure. This time he really does have to appoint a winner. so swiftly. Even the majority of the Tottenham players only found out that Pochettino had gone when it was announced on the club’s website at about 8pm – which immediately crashed.
The 47-year-old had been in Spain on a brief family holiday during the international break, returning to club’s training ground on Monday.
He appeared to have little clue that time was running out as he told journalists in Spain in a weekend interview that he was “enjoying England very much”.
Even senior staff were kept out of the loop, with the final decision explained in a statement from Levy.
“We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the board has taken lightly, nor in haste,” said Levy.
“Regrettably, domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.
“It falls to the board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the club’s best interests.
“Mauricio and his coaching staff will always be part of our history. I have the utmost admiration for the manner in which he dealt with the difficult times away from a home ground whilst we built the new stadium and for the positivity he brought to us. I should like to thank him and his coaching staff for all they have contributed.They will always be welcome here.”
Club legend Gary Lineker tweeted: “He helped the club to punch massively above their weight for years. Good luck with finding a better replacement .... ain’t gonna happen.”
And Spurs’ Dele Alli tweeted: “I can’t thank this man enough. He’s taught me so much and I’m so grateful for everything he’s done for me. Good luck and hope to see you again my friend.”
Levy is also known to be a fan of RB Leipzig’s Julien Nagelsmann, with Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers, Eddie Howe of Bournemouth, Carlo Ancelotti at Napoli and Rafa Benitez also linked with the job.