When Jose Mourinho was fired by Manchester United, he refused to leave the UK. He was hoping to land a job with another Premier League club. Now, after an eleven-month wait, his dream has come through. He was today named the manager of Tottenham Hotspur after the sacking of the hugely popular Mauricio Pochettino.
It is ironic that Pochettino lost his job 171 days on from the club's first appearance in the Champions League final. The 47-year-old took charge in 2014. He led Tottenham into the Champions League for the last four seasons, culminating in reaching the final in June, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy said, “[Sacking Pochettino] is not a decision the board have taken lightly, nor in haste. Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and the beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing. It falls on 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.” Tottenham are currently 14th in the league.
There is no doubt that Pochettino's loss is Mourinho's gain. The Special One was purring. He said:
“I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters. The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”
It is almost certain that the Portuguese narcissist will win something with Tottenham unlike Pochettino who won nothing in his five years at the club. Mourinho always won wherever he has been and Tottenham will not be an exception.
However, the chances are that the marriage between Tottenham and Mourinho will end in tears considering his propensity for picking a fight with anything that moves.
