Graeme Souness and Simon Jordan have admitted they remain ‘surprised’ by a key decision Daniel Levy made at Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham have gone through plenty of managers during Daniel Levy’s reign as chairman.
The early signs are that Levy has landed on the right man in Ange Postecoglou. But only a select few appointments of the ENIC era can be deemed a success.
Martin Jol certainly falls into that category as he led Spurs to new heights in the Premier League between 2004 and 2007. The same can be said of Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino.
But after a brilliant five years under Pochettino, Levy initially struggled to find the right man in the dugout.
Souness ‘surprised’ Tottenham hired Jose Mourinho
Speaking on the latest episode of Simon & Souness, Graeme Souness reflected on Jose Mourinho’s career, alongside Simon Jordan.
The duo admitted they were still shocked by Mourinho’s move to Spurs back in 2019 as the Portuguese boss replaced Pochettino.
“I was surprised that he went to Spurs,” Souness said of Mourinho.
“Surprised in Daniel because I thought it was a marriage made in hell,” Jordan added. “As I did with Antonio Conte.”
“He’s [Levy] your mate,” Souness hit back. “So you judge a man by his friends, that one.”
Jordan went on: “Yeah, alright. Is he my mate or do I respect some of the things he does? I think there’s a difference.”
When asked if he views Levy as a ‘smart’ operator, Jordan added: “I do. You can’t deny he’s a smart operator.
“You’ve got a £1.4 billion stadium sitting there that tells you he’s a smart operator. You’ve got a team that’s the most profitable team in world football and a club that’s made money every year since Daniel walked through the door, with a few notable exceptions.
“The problem is, he’s got an empty trophy cabinet and he’s got to get that balance right and he knows that.”
“Do I think he got the Mourinho he got was the right Mourinho? I find it difficult to understand the dynamic of Daniel’s relationship with Mourinho and Conte because these two guys are big personalities,” Jordan added.
“You bring them through the door, you must have told them something, or they’re —– and they’re misrepresenting what they were told at the time when it doesn’t suit them anymore.
“I was appalled by Conte’s attitude. With Mourinho, I didn’t think it was a fit that would work because Mourinho is about spending money…”
Jordan was then quizzed on why he didn’t think things would work out for Mourinho at Spurs and whether that was down to the players, supporters or the owners.
“All of the three and it proved to be such,” the former Crystal Palace owner said. “My understanding is the players got to such a point with Mourinho they didn’t actually want to play for him anymore.”
Souness added: “How many times have we heard that? The players are unhappy, he’s lost the dressing room. How about looking in the mirror.”
Mourinho’s record at Tottenham
The former Chelsea boss enjoyed a positive start to life at Spurs and had them sitting top of the Premier League in his first full season at the club.
But a mid-season collapse led to Mourinho being sacked by Levy just days before the League Cup final in April 2021.
‘The Special One’ has since labelled the decision as ‘ridiculous’ and clearly believes he should have had the opportunity to lift silverware with Spurs.
Mourinho left with a record of 27 wins, 14 draws and 17 defeats from 58 Premier League games.
It’s difficult to disagree with Jordan and Souness here as it took many by surprise when Mourinho rocked up at Tottenham just 12 hours after Pochettino was dismissed.
The Portuguese boss is known for placing heavy demands on owners when it comes to spending in the transfer market.
Spurs have simply never operated that way under Levy and as many predicted, it ended with Mourinho being sacked after just 17 months in charge.
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