Tottenham have sacked Jose Mourinho after 17 months in office, the club has confirmed.
Spurs announced the decision on Monday morning, less than 12 hours after confirming that they will be founding members of a new European Super League alongside five other English clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Tottenham president Daniel Levy said: “Jose and his coaching staff have been with us in some of our toughest times as a club. Jose is a true professional who showed great resilience during the pandemic.
“On a personal level, I have enjoyed working with him and I am sorry that things have not worked out as we had both planned. He will always be welcome here and we want to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”
Tottenham are seventh in the Premier League, five points off the top four, and face Manchester City in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.
Mourinho had lost 13 games in all competitions this season, more than any other in his managerial career, and sources told ESPN that several members of the squad had been frustrated by his willingness to publicly criticize players after the defeats.
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The 58-year-old succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 with the specific goal of winning silver and maintaining the club’s presence in the Champions League.
Mourinho had shown signs of tension during intense exchanges with journalists at press conferences recently, but sources say he had a belief that winning City this weekend and handing over the club’s first trophy since 2008 would save him time.
ESPN reported on February 19 that Spurs wanted to wait until the end of the season before determining Mourinho’s fate, mainly to clarify what European competition the club will play next season. They remain in a fight to qualify for the Champions League, but this competition has been thrown into chaos by the dramatic announcement on Sunday night of the formation of a new Superliga in which the Spurs plan to participate.
While there are likely to be a number of legal challenges and strong opposition from the existing structure of the game, those clubs at the forefront of the breakaway are confident in their success and the timing of Mourinho’s departure is another sign the Spurs hope will become this new vision. a reality.
Spurs coach Ryan Mason will take charge of training on Monday. Sources have told ESPN that Mason and Chris Powell are likely to be appointed on a provisional basis until the end of the season as the search for a new coach begins.