Football

‘He is an angry man’ – Ex Liverpool manager on Spurs new coach Mourinho

Spurs fans were in shock last night when it was announced that Mauricio Pochettino  was sacked last night. They were probabaly even more surprised when Jose Mourinho was brought in as their new coach.

The Portuguese, who was sacked at Manchester United 11 months ago, has replaced Mauricio Pochettino on a deal until the summer of 2023.

The ‘special one’ won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, but his tenure at Manchester United ended in bitterness.

However, Graeme Souness believes this anger will push Mourinho to prove his worth, again, in the English top flight.

Souness, the former Liverpool and Newcastle manager, told Sky Sports News: “He is a guy that has won trophies wherever he has been. I would expect him to do the same at Spurs.

“Spurs have won three trophies in 28 years. For a big club that’s just not good enough.

“Spurs are genuinely a big football club and they need someone that can turn what is perceived to be attacking, attractive football into maybe a slightly more pragmatic approach that will put some silverware in the boardroom, and I think he is the perfect fit for them.

“He is an angry man, deep inside. He’s a frustrated man, the way it turned out at United. I think Spurs will reap the benefit of that.

“He knew he was going to go back and he was just waiting for the right one. He loves the English game.

“Our football right now is the one everyone wants to watch. The spotlight is on us. He likes to be in the spotlight. He has got a big personality but he truly is a football person.

“I think Spurs are getting the right man at the right time. He feels he has a point to prove to people who doubted him or were critical of him. He will want to ram those words down his critics’ throats.”

Trophy drought

This will not be an immediate concern, but part of his overall brief will be surely to end Tottenham’s trophy drought. As well as his high profile, Mourinho’s ability to put silverware in the cabinets will have been a massive appeal to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

He is a serial winner, lifting trophies at every club he has been at and that was the one thing missing from Pochettino’s reign. It has been over a decade since Spurs won a trophy and Mourinho will be desperate to change that.

Harry Kane

While the fate of Eriksen, Rose, Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld may be out of his hands, Mourinho needs to make it his main priority to convince Harry Kane that his future remains at Spurs. The England captain is under contract for plenty of time yet, but he is a superstar of European football and has always said he wants to win things.

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Joe Mellor

Head of Content

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