Mourinho explains why he replaced Pochettino at Tottenham

Jose Mourinho insists it is the “quality” in Tottenham Hotspur’s players that attracted him to accept the offer to replace Mauricio Pochettino as manager, writes independent.co.uk.

Daniel Levy moved quickly to replace the Argentinian, with Spurs languishing in 14th in the Premier League. And Mourinho has admitted he jumped at the chance to join a club with “such a great heritage”, particularly due to the talent available in the first team and the academy.

The Portuguese explained: “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.”Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, announcing Mourinho’s arrival, said: “In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. “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.”Pochettino was sacked after five-and-a-half years in charge on Tuesday evening.And 11 hours later Jose Mourinho was in the hotseat.

But Mourinho takes over at Tottenham, not as manager, but as head coach.Head coach was the title Pochettino originally had at Spurs when he joined the club in 2015, before becoming manager when he signed a new contract in 2016.He said then: “We are agreed that it would be good, for myself, for the club, for all.
 
“It’s true that ‘manager’ is a word that means different things than head coach. Maybe I was always manager from the first day I arrived here – and maybe it describes my job better.”

The title of head coach implies that others within a club structure are taking charge of recruitment and transfers – something Pochettino took umbrage with towards the end of his reign.

Speaking during the summer transfer window, Pochettino said: “These types of things, what will happen, what will not happen, selling and buying of players, extending contracts, not extending contracts, I think it is not in my hands. It is in the club hands, and Daniel Levy. At the moment I am managing the team in the best way possible.

“Maybe the club need to change my title description, because my job now is to coach the team. It is not a question for me, it is a question for the club. Maybe the club are going to change my title description.“Of course I am the boss, deciding the strategy to play, training, mentality, philosophy in my area, but in another area, I think I am the coach the coach.”