September 21, (THEWILL) – Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, has admitted he made a mistake in appointing Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte as managers, saying their style of play did not align with the club’s long-term vision.
In a recent interview, Levy said he opted for the two seasoned trophy winners after becoming frustrated with Tottenham’s inability to win silverware under Mauricio Pochettino’s leadership. However, neither manager was able to end the club’s lingering trophy drought.
Mourinho, hired in 2019, reached the League Cup final but left with Spurs finishing in what was a disappointing sixth place in the English Premier League for the club at the time. Conte, who replaced the short-lived Nuno Espirito Santo, delivered a top-four finish last season but departed in March with the club sitting eighth.
Levy acknowledged the fact that both Mourinho and Conte were “great managers” but conceded their pragmatic approach was incongruent with Tottenham’s aim to play more progressive football and this incongruence led to the disappointments that followed.
The chairman said the appointments were reactive and hiring current boss Ange Postecoglou in June represented a return to a long-term strategy, even if it meant a longer wait for trophies. Levy said he learned from the experience and vowed to remain patient: “If that means it has to take a little bit longer to win, maybe it’s the right thing for us.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
