TalkSport insider Alex Crook has claimed that Daniel Levy made the decision to sack Jose Mourinho because of his team selection.
The Portuguese head coach was sacked on Monday morning following 17 months in charge of the club, without winning a single trophy during that time. Although not for the lack of trying, as he had guided them to this weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Man City. And given he managed to beat Pep Guardiola’s side earlier in the season, it was possible that Mourinho could have done the same again at Wembley.
And speaking on the TalkSport Gameday podcast, Crook claimed that the game on Sunday, and more importantly the build-up to it, played a big part in Daniel Levy’s decision to get rid of Mourinho on Monday.
He suggested a disagreement stemmed from the planned lineup for the game against the Saints – claims which were previously made by Duncan Castles earlier this week – but also claimed that Mourinho issued Levy with a damning response about his team and the lack of trophies during the chairman’s tenure.
Crook said: “I’ve got some information this morning – apparently, the last straw in the breakdown of the relationship between Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho was that Jose Mourinho planned to field a weakened Tottenham team against Southampton in the league in midweek to focus fully on the League Cup final.
“Daniel Levy barred him from doing so because he still felt – obviously still feels after that win against Southampton – there is a slim chance that Tottenham can gatecrash the top four. Apparently, there was a heated exchange in which Jose Mourinho is alleged to have told Daniel Levy: ‘This is why Tottenham don’t win trophies because you put your priorities in the wrong basket.’
Do you think Mourinho's time was up?
No, he should have had the cup final
Yes, he was finished
TIF Thoughts on Alex Crook’s comments about Jose Mourinho and Daniel Levy…
If what Crook said is true, then you really have to question what the aim is for Tottenham, because both sides make a good point.
Yes, it’s true that Spurs aren’t too far away from the top four so Champions League football is still a possibility, which would justify Levy wanting a strong team out in the league. But at the same time, given their long trophy drought, you’d feel that just getting that first bit of silverware over the line would be most important, putting Mourinho in the right for wanting to prioritise that.
Either way, it doesn’t look good on Spurs because it gives off the idea that Levy is interfering with matters, which might not look good for any new potential boss that could be on his way to North London this summer.
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