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In a whirlwind 12-hour spell, Tottenham Hotspur parted company with Mauricio Pochettino and wasted no time in hiring a replacement, as Jose Mourinho signed a three-year deal with the North London club in a move that sent shockwaves across Europe. Spurs are languishing in 14th place in the league standings and a series of underwhelming results domestically meant Pochettino reached a point of no return, as the club reluctantly agreed to end their five-year association with the Argentinian.
Mourinho, on the other hand, has been out of work since his sacking at Manchester United and returns to the dugout after one year in the wilderness, as a chance to manage a top-six club in the Premier League proved to be too much to turn down. The two-time Champions League-winning manager takes over the reins from Pochettino and will look to imprint his philosophy immediately, as Spurs aim to end their 11-year wait for a major trophy.
As the Special One finally lands the big Premier League job he's coveted since his sacking at Manchester United last summer, let's look at 3 reasons why the legendary Portuguese tactician is the perfect fit for Tottenham Hotspur.
3. Mourinho has the core group of players to work with
In recent weeks, Spurs' squad has been hampered by a combination of contract rebels and players who were deemed out of favour by Pochettino, but the fact remains that the North London club have the core group of players for Mourinho to work with, at least for the time being.
The Portuguese international is reportedly a big fan of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld and also expressed an interest in signing the pair at some point in his Manchester United tenure. Although Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are in the twilight years of their careers, they have been reliable performers for Spurs over the years, giving Mourinho a sense of reassurance as he starts his project at the club.
Tottenham are also well-represented upfront with Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura and Harry Kane and with a midfield trio of Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, Mourinho has all bases covered in the centre of the park and also has the luxury of Giovani Lo Celso or Christian Eriksen to add a creative spark, if necessary.
Over the years, Mourinho's side have always had a solid core, to begin with, and although Spurs are in a state of turmoil, he's got more than enough experience to steady the ship for the time being and compete for major honours next summer, with a handful of additions in the transfer market.
2. His philosophy is tailor-made for the squad he's inherited
Jose Mourinho's sides have always been hard to beat and the Portuguese tactician could deploy either the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 to devastating effect with the squad he's inherited. In his time in the Premier League, Mourinho's teams have consistently racked up the clean sheets and the fact that Spurs have one of the most reliable centre half pairings in recent seasons in Alderweireld and Vertonghen will go a long way in ensuring defensive solidarity.
As we've seen in his time at Chelsea and Manchester United, Mourinho likes his teams to defend deep and hit oppositions sides on the break, a brand of football that Spurs are also accustomed to.
"If you don’t play counter-attack then it’s because you are stupid. Counter-attack is a fantastic item of football, an ammunition that you have, and when you find your opponent unbalanced you have a fantastic moment to score a goal. So I think people are creating (illusions) and it has influenced public opinion. But football will never change. Football is to win.”
With two electric wingers in Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son either side of a potent goalscorer like Harry Kane, Spurs could devastate teams on the counter-attack as they've done so over the years and their attacking prowess coupled with Mourinho's defensive organisation could make them one hell of a team to beat.
1. Mourinho is a proven winner
Jose Mourinho has been without a job since his sacking at Manchester United and although the Portuguese tactician has come under immense scrutiny in recent seasons for failing to adapt to the changes in modern football, the fact remains that he's a proven winner.
The 56-year-old's tenure with the record English champions has been deemed a failure but in his time at the club, the Red Devils won the Carabao Cup and the Europa League in his first season and finished second in the Premier League behind Antonio Conte's Chelsea in the following season, something dubbed by the man himself as one of his greatest ever accomplishments as a manager.
Since making a name for himself as one of the most exciting coaches in world football at Porto, the Special One has stamped his legacy as one of the greatest managers in the modern era and in recent seasons, he has become a victim of his own success.
Mourinho has won trophies at every club since making a name for himself in Portugal and is the perfect man to take over the reins from Pochettino, as Spurs look to win their first trophy since their League Cup triumph in 2008.
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