SPURS FURY!
Stars angry at Mourinho digs after Toon draw ++ Alderweireld baffled by claims he missed training ++ Jose pay-off takes a hit
TOTTENHAM players were angered by Jose Mourinho’s comments following Sunday’s draw at Newcastle.
Mourinho was asked why his Spurs side were so vulnerable late in games when he is a manager whose teams have usually hung on to slender leads.
He replied: ‘Same coach, different players.’ That answer sparked irritation among members of the squad who feel the manager threw them under the bus to protect himself from criticism.
The team were also baffled by Mourinho’s claim that Toby alderweireld had missed two days of training ahead of the game. The Belgium defender was not even on the bench at St James’ Park, leading to questions about his no-show.
Mourinho, whose Spurs pay-off would be slashed — we can reveal — if he loses his job without securing european qualification, explained alderweireld’s non-selection was due to him not training until the day before the match.
When asked about alderweireld and Serge aurier’s absence from the squad, he said: ‘They were fit, but they reported for training only yesterday. They went for their national teams and they didn’t make the Covid tests on time to be in the training session on Thursday, not even on Friday. They came only yesterday.’
However, sources claim alderweireld had a Covid test on his return from international duty on Wednesday, while there is photographic evidence of the defender on the training pitch at the club’s enfield HQ on Thursday.
Furthermore, the club posted a video of Friday’s session that included alderweireld on their official Twitter page. The evidence therefore appears to
indicate that Alderweireld did train before Saturday, casting doubt on Mourinho’s comments. The player is said to be confused by his manager’s explanation and is hoping for clarification on the issue when he trains today. Meanwhile, Spurs can expect to pay less than £30million in compensation to Mourinho if they fire him. It has been widely reported that the Special One would be entitled to at least £30m if he loses his job. He still has two years to run on a deal that is worth up to £15m a year.
However, sources claim Mourinho would be entitled to significantly less if Spurs fall out of contention for a European place through their league position. As it stands, the north London club are in the top six and have a realistic chance of qualifying for the Champions League or Europa League. But slipping down the table would potentially hit Mourinho in the pocket. As revealed by Sportsmail last week, Tottenham’s participation in elite European football next season will have a big bearing on whether chairman Daniel Levy decides to
stick with Mourinho. spurs face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at the end of the month, and victory would gain them entry to the inaugural uEFa Europa Conference league. But that would not be viewed as a top-level European competition. on top of that, while Mourinho’s contract is worth up to £15m a year, his basic pay is closer to £10m, which would significantly reduce any compensation in the event of Mourinho losing his job. nevertheless, the special one can still expect a huge sum if he is sacked by Tottenham.