A report has revealed how Jose Mourinho had been on ‘borrowed time’ at Tottenham for weeks before it was announced on Monday he had been fired by Spurs.
Speculation that the Portuguese coach had been sacked started early on Monday before Tottenham officially announced it soon after.
The 58-year-old took charge of Spurs in November 2019 and signed a four-year contract after Mauricio Pochettino left the club.
Their embarrassing exit from the Europa League at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb, coupled with their poor performances in the Premier League had seen pressure build on Mourinho.
There had been speculation in recent months that Brendan Rodgers, Maurizio Sarri and Nuno Espirito Santo could be in the frame for his job but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was reportedly happy to give Mourinho another year no matter how they performed this season.
That turned out to be false information as the Tottenham chief took decisive action on Monday with the club now looking to appoint his successor.
The last few weeks contained all the hallmarks of a familiar Mourinho end game as there were stories of player feuds, spats with the media and a deflection from poor performances.
And The Athletic have added a little more meat to bones in the immediate aftermath of his sacking, suggesting that his treatment of players and the reaction of fans had a big impact on Spurs’ decision.
The Athletic said:
‘Tottenham saw Mourinho as their way to get back into the Champions League but now that is impossible, he was on borrowed time.
‘The club were also unhappy with Mourinho’s constant criticism of the players in public, and very conscious of how the fans had turned on him.
‘They knew that if the fans came back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium they would make their feelings on Mourinho very clear. That scenario has now been avoided.’
On announcing the news, Levy said on the club’s official website: “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 had envisaged.
“He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”
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