Tottenham appoint Mourinho as new manager
By Simon Cambers,
London -By Simon Cambers, - Tottenham Hotspur named Jose Mourinho as their new manager Wednesday following the dismissal of Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked on Tuesday evening.
Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Mourinho signed a three-and-a-half-year contract as Head Coach, tying him to the London club until the end of the 2022-23 season.
"In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said.
"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 won the Premier League three times with Chelsea and having been out of work since December 2018, when he was sacked by Manchester United, he said he is looking forward to getting started.
"I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters," he said.
"The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”
Pochettino lost his job six months after taking his side to the Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.
The Argentinian joined Spurs from Southampton in 2014 and took the side to the League Cup final in his first season.
He led Tottenham to top-four finishes - and a Champions League place - in each of the past four Premier League seasons, finishing runners-up in 2016-17.
But Spurs have struggled this season, losing four times already to sit 14th, 20 points behind leaders Liverpool and 11 points off a top-four spot.
In a statement on Tuesday, Levy said sacking Pochettino had been a hard thing to do.
"Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing," he said.
"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."
"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 won the Premier League three times with Chelsea and having been out of work since December 2018, when he was sacked by Manchester United, he said he is looking forward to getting started.
"I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters," he said.
"The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”
Pochettino lost his job six months after taking his side to the Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.
The Argentinian joined Spurs from Southampton in 2014 and took the side to the League Cup final in his first season.
He led Tottenham to top-four finishes - and a Champions League place - in each of the past four Premier League seasons, finishing runners-up in 2016-17.
But Spurs have struggled this season, losing four times already to sit 14th, 20 points behind leaders Liverpool and 11 points off a top-four spot.
In a statement on Tuesday, Levy said sacking Pochettino had been a hard thing to do.
"Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing," he said.
"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."