Daniel Levy
T
iming 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 namemore 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 andSpurs chairman who fired Pochettino and hired Mourinho
Headliners
Surprise arrival...
new Spurs boss
Jose Mourinho“Domestic results at
the end of last season
and beginning of this
have been extremely
disappointing”