One of the most successful coaches in modern football, Jose Mourinho, has been sacked  by chairman of Tottenham Hotspurs, Daniel Levy after just 17 months in the job.

Last Friday, Tottenhan drew 2-2 with Everton in a lacklustre performance which was the last time Mourinho was in charge of the team.

This is the fourth time Mourinho has been sacked from a top English club, having been sacked twice by Chelsea and once by Manchester United.

Tottenham are seventh in the English Premier League with the team’s chances of securing a top four finish in order to qualify for the Champions’ League next season becoming a remote possibility. The team has squandered 20 points from leading positions already this season.

POCHETTINO SUCCESSOR

Mourinho succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 with Spurs lying 14^th in the table on 14 points after 12 games.

Pochettino led Tottenham to their first UEFA Champions League final in June 2019 which they lost 2-0 to Liverpool. He had transformed the team from one that resided in the mid table for years to regular top four over the last few years.

Earlier today, Chairman Daniel Levy wrote: “The club can today announce that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff have been relieved of their duties.

“Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club. Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level, I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both have envisaged. He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”

Mourinho was reported to be on a salary of £12 million a year and was brought on to guarantee silverware and a regular top four spot.

He faced a barrage of criticism for his defensive, negative approach to the game and, with 10 defeats already this season, he was seen as a coach whose time had come and gone – a man living on past glories.

Tottenham has decided to become part of an English contingent of six clubs forming part of a new European super league. It was not yet known whether Mourinho was in agreement with this move or if the club’s decision had a role to play in his being sacked.

The 2019-20 season saw Tottenham finishing in sixth position. When Mourinho arrived, the club was in 14th place.

“Without injuries, without the problems that we had last season, that team would have been in a much better position than sixth. Sixth was quite… let’s say a miracle. But not because of our potential, because of circumstances,”  said Mourinho.