- Daniel Levy reflected on his appointments of the two experienced managers at Spurs
- The Tottenham boss admitted he had made a ‘mistake’ in those decisions
- Click here to view the IAKO Battle of Old Trafford YouTube special from the Mail Sport Studios
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has admitted he made a ‘mistake’ in appointing Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte to the club.
The under-fire Spurs boss spoke to Son-Heung Min and Ange Postecoglou at a fans forum on Tuesday to answer questions from supporters.
Levy then indicated an interview Bloomberg where he further discussed some of the most important decisions he has made in recent years.
One of those topics has been management choice, which has changed dramatically from the days of Mauricio Pochettino, to Mourinho, to Conte and now Postecoglou.
Levy said: “I had a good relationship with both Jose and Antonio. They are different. As I said to my fan forum last night, I made a mistake.
Daniel Levy sat down for an interview with Bloomberg the day after attending a fans forum
Levy admitted he made a mistake in hiring Jose Mourinho (L) and Antonio Conte (R)
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘They are great managers, but they just don’t suit this club. The way they want to win is different from how we need to win.
“I think the style of football that our fans crave is attacking football. If that means winning 4-3, so be it. While I think their style of football is… they don’t mind playing defense and winning 1-0.
“And we were in a situation where we were so desperate to win. I think at that point, four to five years ago, we would have chosen any way to win. But we didn’t win. And so if you don’t win, you get a very dissatisfied fan base.’
Tottenham reached new heights under Pochettino between 2014 and 2019, winning multiple titles and reaching the Champions League final, but that era ended with nothing to show for it.
During the fans’ forum on Tuesday, Levy suggested that – in the wake of Pochettino’s failed reign – a number of Tottenham players had been pushing for a ‘win-now’ manager.
Reflecting on those comments, the Spurs boss said: ‘It wasn’t about the name, it was about them (the players) wanting to win. Just like I did.
‘We ended it with Mauricio, who was a great manager and did fantastic things for this football club. And we got frustrated and went through a phase where we said, ‘Let’s try something different.’ And it didn’t work’.
During the same interview, Levy admitted he is open to selling a stake in the north London club.
Tottenham appear to be back on the right track under current manager Ange Postecoglou
The Tottenham chairman also admitted he is open to selling a stake in the London club
The 61-year-old said Bloomberg: ‘I have no real interest in leaving Tottenham, but I have a duty to consider anything anyone wants to propose. It’s not about me, it’s about what’s good for the club
‘We run this club as if it were a listed company. If anyone wants to make a serious proposal to the Tottenham board, we will consider it, together with our advisors, and if we feel it is in the best interests of the club, we are open to anything.
“If we find the right naming rights partner – and when I say that, I mean someone who pays the right money in the right industry – then we’re willing to consider that. But we’re not as tied to it now as we might have been when we first looked at building the stadium.
‘We are really a club that believes in the academy producing players who can hopefully become superstars at Tottenham. We are not a club that can buy success. That is the reality and we must understand it. And we needed a manager who completely matches our philosophy.’