Jose Mourinho has appeared to take aim at Manchester United and Chelsea’s youth structures, claiming that his former clubs didn’t produce youngsters good enough for first-team football.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Spurs less than 12 hours after Mauricio Pochettino was sensationally sacked.
The 56-year-old had been out of work since leaving United last December but is now back in the Premier League and tasked with reviving Spurs’ youthful squad.
Mourinho has often courted criticism throughout his managerial career for failing to show faith in youth, but he is now relishing the chance to follow Pochettino’s philisophy.
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And, in getting his point across, the Champions League-winning manager suggested that his other former clubs didn’t allow him to blood youth.
Speaking to Spurs TV, he said: “There is not one manager in the world that doesn’t like to play young players and to help young players to develop – not one.
“The problem is that sometimes you get into clubs where the work that is below you is not good enough to produce these players.
“So I look to our history and you see that the academy is always giving talents the first team need. Of course I always look forward to working with that profile.”
Mourinho moved quickly to appoint his backroom staff, with Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos joining from Lille as assistant manager and goalkeeping coach, respectively.
Tottenham also confirmed the arrival of Carlos Lalin as fitness coach, Ricardo Formosinho as tactical analyst and Giovanni Cerra as technical analyst.
All three worked under Mourinho at Old Trafford.
Despite his troubles in the latter stages of his tenure at Old Trafford, Mourinho remains one of the most sought-after managers in the game.
His success at delivering trophies is not in question, having won three Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and a host of domestic cups, and that was a clear attraction for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
