José Mourinho appointed as new Tottenham manager
Jose Mourinho has been appointed as the new Tottenham Hotspur head coach, the club announced early on Wednesday morning.
The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager will take over at Spurs on a deal that runs until the end of the 2022-23 season.
It was widely reported that Mourinho was the club’s No.1 candidate after they sacked Mauricio Pochettino following a poor start to the Premier League season with no other candidates seriously considered. Just hours later, Tottenham confirmed Mourinho as Pochettino’s successor.
“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football,” Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement. “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 is expected to meet the players at the Tottenham training ground on Wednesday although reports suggest that the Spurs squad had no knowledge of plans to sack Pochettino or replace him with the Portuguese.
The 56-year-old will assume full control immediately and is expected to pick the team to face West Ham for his first game on Saturday.
Mourinho returns to lead the third Premier League club of his career. He won three Premier League titles (2004-05, 2005-06, 2014-15) across two stints at Chelsea. From 2016-2018, he was in charge of Manchester United, winning the 2016-17 Europa League crown.
His time at United ended in December 2018 following rising tensions at the club, which saw the team make their worst start to a league campaign after 17 games since the 1990-91 season.
“I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters,” Mourinho said of his appointment. “The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”
Overall, Mourinho has managed 305 games in the Premier League — 212 with Chelsea and 93 with Manchester United.
