New Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho rejected a chance to join Scottish giants Celtic a while ago, as per Football Insider.
The report claims that the Hoops were not completely sure about making Neil Lennon their permanent manager at the end of the season. They were weighing up many options and one of them was appointing Mourinho himself.
But the new Spurs boss rejected the offer as he felt that it wasn’t enough of a challenge for him to take up. Mourinho also rejected offers from Inter and Benfica, among some other clubs.
The Portuguese manager has previously spoken warmly about the atmosphere at Parkhead, but the Hoops ended up appointing Lennon as their permanent boss before the start of the new season earlier this summer.
A swift move to Spurs
Celtic saw Brendan Rodgers leave the club towards the end of February earlier this year. Lennon was initially brought in as a temporary manager but was later appointed as the permanent manager.
The former Manchester City player had led the side to the title last season, pipping fierce rivals Rangers to the crown. It was the club’s eighth Scottish Premiership title in a row, with the first one also coming under the tutelage of Lennon in 2012.
Tottenham’s appointment of Mourinho came as a surprise to many. Not because he was appointed, but because of how quickly everything happened.
Daniel Levy’s club ended up axing former boss Mauricio Pochettino in the evening hours of the 19th of November and after holding talks with Mourinho through the night, the Portuguese was announced as the new Spurs boss on the early morning of the 20th.
TIF Tactics
Former Hoops’ boss Rodgers, who was linked as Pochettino’s successor, instilled an attacking brand of football at Parkhead during his time at the club.
In the 2017-18 campaign, Celtic won the league by scoring 73 goals that season. In the 2016-17 campaign, the Bhoys had found the back of the net as many as 106 times in the league- 32 more than second-placed Aberdeen.
Spurs, like Celtic under Rodgers, were known to play an attacking brand of football during Pochettino’s era. It had helped them finish inside the top four as many as four times during his five-year stay. Their highest finish was second in the 2016-17 campaign.
But since last season, Spurs have not been at their flying best. Last season, they scored 67 goals in the Premier League. While in 2016-17, they found the back of the net 86 times – the highest in the Premier League that season. Their style had become more pragmatic last season than it ever was under Pochettino.
Mourinho can help them fully embrace that and help them thrive in his pragmatic approach. He has the know-how of winning trophies and now that Pochettino has given them the foundation of a very squad, Mourinho can take advantage of that.
As for Celtic, they’re doing well enough under Lennon. They’re currently top of the Scottish Premiership and have picked up two impressive Europa League wins over Italian giants Lazio. So as ludicrous as it may sound to even suggest, perhaps, the Hoops aren’t missing out on the Portuguese manager as much as they possibly could have.