Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy admits it was a ‘MISTAKE’ to appoint ‘trophy managers’ Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte as he praises ‘breath of fresh air’ Ange Postecoglou
- Tottenham haven’t won a trophy since 2008, an achievement Levy desperately wanted
- Things ended badly under Mourinho and Conte and their stays were brief
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast Everything starts !
Tottenham manager Daniel Levy has admitted the appointment of ‘trophy managers’ Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were both mistakes.
Levy received heavy criticism from a large section of Tottenham fans for the appointment of Mourinho, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, and Conte, who joined the club after the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo.
It was assumed they had been brought to the club in an attempt to bring instant success to the club, who are yet to win a trophy since the League Cup in 2008.
But things didn’t go as planned in either case, with both ultimately being sacked, with Conte criticizing Levy and the Tottenham squad before his departure last season.
Levy was speaking at a fan forum on Thursday when asked about the nominations and, while he didn’t mention them by name, he explained his regrets about giving both their positions men.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy (pictured) admitted it was a ‘mistake’ to appoint Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Levy said he had appointed the dup as “trophy managers” but said they “weren’t good for the club”.
Levy praised new and current boss Ange Postecoglou, who he described as “a breath of fresh air”.
“I want to win as much as everyone else, but the frustration of not winning and the pressure from some players and a lot of the fan base, that we have to win, we have to spend money, we have to having a big manager, we need a big name, it affected me,” he said.
“I had gone through a period where we almost won. With Mauricio we had very good times. We are not there yet but we are very close and we have changed our strategy.
“The strategy was to call on a trophy manager. We’ve done it twice and you have to learn from your mistakes. They are excellent managers but perhaps not for this club.
“We want to play a certain way and if that means it has to take a little longer to win, maybe that’s the right thing for us. That’s why bringing in Ange (Postecoglou) was, to my point of view, the right decision.
Levy was joined on stage by new manager Postecoglou, women’s manager Robert Vilahamn and senior captains Son Heung-min and Beth England.
Spurs have enjoyed a positive start to life under Postecoglou, winning four of their first five Premier League matches and sitting second in the table with a draw also to their name.
The Australian received plaudits for his style of football, which Levy praised after describing the simplicity of his appointment to ensure the club “played a certain way”.
Tottenham have enjoyed a successful start to the season under Postecoglou, sitting second in the Premier League table.
Levy stated the importance of reclaiming the club’s “DNA” to play attacking football under the club’s current management.
“It was very easy, because Ange, I would say, is just a normal guy and it was wonderful to be able to have a conversation with him where we could talk about everything and he was very direct and honest,” he said. -he declares.
“I like someone who just tells me like it is, someone who plays games, someone who says one thing to me and then one thing to someone else. This club needed to get back to its roots .
“Honestly, there was a lot of pressure on me to bring in someone who was a big name. I just wanted someone who understands our DNA, who plays attacking football, who gives young players a chance, who believes in the academy, who builds a relationship with the fans and who understands the resources we have and that we we don’t have as a club. be part of a team.
“Ange, I must say, is a breath of fresh air.”