A reign that managed to combine the mind-numbingly tedious with the utterly chaotic has come to an end as Jose Mourinho is sacked after 18 months in charge of Spurs.Â
Eyebrows will be raised about the timing of the decision, with Spurs playing Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final in just six days time.
It’s almost certainly no coincidence though, that the news broke on the morning after it was confirmed the club would be taking part in the new breakaway European Super League.
Charged with elevating the north Londoners to the next level following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2019, Mourinho failed to qualify for the Champions League in his first season in charge and looked set to miss out on the top four yet again. Spurs are currently seventh.
It represents the first time in the Portuguese’s once illustrious career that he leaves a club without having won any silverware.
Spurs crashed out of the Europa League after losing a two-goal advantage and being thrashed 3-0 by Dinamo Zagreb – days after their manager had been sentenced to prison.
Yet Mourinho found himself in the jailhouse among Spurs fans throughout his reign. His Chelsea history didn’t help, but it was the style of football that was simply incongruous with a club who pride themselves on Danny Blanchflower’s famous excerpt: “The game is about glory.”
Ryan Mason will now take charge of first-team training and is expected to step into a caretaker role until a permanent appointment is made.
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In a statement, Daniel Levy said:
“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.”
Still, look on the bright side Jose – there’s a big payday coming your way.
Mourinho’s contract was worth £15m a year and contained no break clause – and he still had a year and a half remaining on his three-year deal.
According to the Independent’s Miguel Delaney, it all means he’s in line for a pay-off of at least £15m. Sound familiar?
The 58-year-old received £18m from Roman Abramovich when he left Chelsea in 2007 and £17m from Real Madrid five years later. Inter Milan, of course, he left of his own accord.
Chelsea then paid him another £12.5m in 2015 – when they were teetering above the relegation zone – and he raked in a further £15m from Manchester United in 2018.
In total, that means at least £82.5m in Mourinho’s bank account all from being sacked. A specialist in failure?