Daniel Levy
Spurs chairman who fired Pochettino and hired Mourinho
“Domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this have been extremely disappointing”
Timing is everything in football – as Daniel Levy is likely to discover over the coming months. The Tottenham Hotspur chairman made the biggest call yet of his 18-year tenure by abruptly sacking Mauricio Pochettino, the club’s hugely popular manager, and replacing him with Jose Mourinho.
Though Pochettino’s position had been a matter of speculation for some months following Spurs’ poor start to the season, his departure was still a major surprise. The Argentinian had been the club’s most successful boss of the modern era, a man who had worked miracles on tight budgets for a club previously ridiculed for their ability to turn promising situations into failures.
In his place, Levy has brought in a man whose reputation was severely diminished by his most recent employment at Manchester United. And Mourinho’s ideas would appear to be at loggerheads with what Levy has been trying to achieve at Spurs. The two-time Chelsea manager has long been criticised for his negative tactics, costly short-termism in transfer dealings and an aversion to deploying youth-team players.
The replacement of Pochettino with Mourinho angered Spurs fans who only months earlier had witnessed some of the greatest moments in the club’s history: the semi-final comeback against Ajax in Amsterdam and a first Champions League Final. And as they were quick to recall, the Portuguese had previously said he’d never manage Tottenham, declaring: “I would not take the job because I love Chelsea supporters too much.”
Mourinho’s arrival was announced just hours after Pochettino’s departure, with the speed of the appointment suggesting Levy had been talking to Mourinho and his representatives for some considerable time but had somehow managed to keep everything under wraps.
“Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and
Antoni Jimenez have been relieved of their duties,” said a club statement, in which Levy added: “Regrettably, domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing. We have a talented squad. We need to re-energise and look to deliver a positive season for our supporters.”
For 57-year-old Levy, whose family started the Mr Byrite clothing chain and who owns 29.4 per cent of ENIC, it was his biggest decision as chairman since he bought the club from Alan Sugar in 2001.
He has run a tight ship financially, overseeing the construction of Spurs’ magnificent but expensive new home, and is still searching for a stadium sponsor – which prompted speculation that his choice of Mourinho was motivated by the need for a name more recognisable to global corporations.
Levy must also address a growing contract crisis, with Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all able to leave for free in the summer, and Danny Rose threatening to run down the last 18 months of his deal.
Although famed for his tough negotiating skills, Levy has reportedly agreed to pay Mourinho a salary of £15million a year, but it remains to be seen whether the chairman will also deliver on any of his new manager’s preferred transfer targets in the January transfer window.
Mourinho – who will not be bringing in his long-time assistants Rui Faria and Silvino Louro – arrives with a reputation for negative football, with the origins of his “park the bus” phrase going back to a 0-0 draw between Spurs and
Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2004, when he commented: “Tottenham might as well have put the team bus in front of their goal.”
And what next for Pochettino, who only had a net spend of £109m over five-and-a-half years in North London but had also warned about the need to rebuild the side, even before last season’s Champions League run?
Armed with a personal £12m payoff, thanks to Levy, Tottenham longestserving manager since Keith Burkinshaw will not be short of suitors willing to invest in the 47-year-old, who will doubtlessly be linked with the footballing financial heavyweights of Europe, with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and possibly Barcelona and Real Madrid all interested in his services.