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Reaction after Jose Mourinho replaces Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham

FILE PHOTO (EDITORS NOTE: GRADIENT ADDED - COMPOSITE OF TWO IMAGES - Image numbers (L) 670853046 and 632296086) In this composite image a comparision has been made between Jose Mourinho manager of Manchester United (L) and Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur meet in a Premier League match on October 28, 2017 at Old Trafford in Manchester.  ****LEFT IMAGE*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Jose Mourinho manager of Manchester United looks on after the UEFA Europa League quarter final second leg match between Manchester United and RSC Anderlecht at Old Trafford on April 20, 2017 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Manchester United reach the semi-finals 3-2 on aggregate. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on January 21, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho has succeeded Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs manager. (Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Jose Mourinho as their new head coach, less than 12 hours after sacking Mauricio Pochettino.

The club announced Pochettino’s dismissal in a shock announcement on Twitter, sparking a lot of mixed emotions from those with ties to the club. Gary Lineker responded to the news almost immediately, tweeting “Good luck with finding a better replacement... ain’t gonna happen.”

The end of an era

Fans took the news extremely hard, circulating an emotional video of Pochettino following Tottenham’s 3-2 comeback win over Ajax last season.

A large amount of supporters appeared furious that the Argentine “wasn’t backed” by the club, especially after leading Spurs to their first ever Champions League final earlier this year.

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Dele Alli tweeted a photo of him and Pochettino shaking hands during a match with the heartfelt caption: “I can’t thank this man enough. He’s taught me so much and I’m so grateful for everything he’s done for me. Good luck and hope to see you again my friend.”

Alli’s teammates joined him in wishing the 47-year-old the best of luck and expressed their gratitude towards the man who had been in charge for over five years. Harry Kane thanked Pochettino for helping him to “achieve his dreams” and reflects on the “amazing moments” they’ve shared.

Fans also expressed their emotions over their manager departing from the club. One spoke live on talkSPORT and announced he would “never go [to a game] again while that man [Daniel Levy] is in charge.”

The fan went on to say he hopes Pochettino will take a move to Arsenal and help them win the Premier League. “I really am that gutted,” he continued.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 18:  Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur holds the match ball as he celebrates scoring four goals with Mauricio Pochettino manager of Tottenham Hotspur after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at The King Power Stadium on May 18, 2017 in Leicester, England.  (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Harry Kane took to Twitter to thank his former manager. (Getty Images)

The right decision?

Pochettino – who had established himself as a fan favourite – has a lot of fans and professionals in his corner. OptaJoe posted a statistic this morning comparing Pochettino to his replacement, revealing that the two managers had an identical point-to-game ratio whilst Mourinho was still at Manchester United.

The original statement posted by Tottenham announcing Pochettino’s departure has over 129,000 engagements, including over 14,000 replies. The majority of these were unhappy and confused responses.

Pundit Jermaine Jenas tweeted his thoughts on the decision, targeting the Tottenham board. “Shoulda backed him not sacked him! Gutted for Mauricio.”

Even David Lammy, Tottenham’s Labour MP has spoken out about the club’s decision. “I am in shock,” he said.

Lammy added that the Argentine was “on the brink of something special” and is “one of the best managers in the Premier League.”

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Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp even suggested that Pochettino might not have to go too far for his next role. On talkSPORT, he said: “There are clubs in London who are having a terrible time. Why shouldn’t he go to Arsenal if he wants to? You think the Arsenal fans wouldn’t love him there?

An impressive pedigree

Despite those unhappy with Pochettino’s dismissal, it’s hard to ignore Mourinho’s success with his former clubs. During his two spells with Chelsea and his 2016-2018 tenure with Man United, the 56-year-old amassed nine trophies, including three Premier League titles.

Mourinho has also won silverware at the hilt of Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, totalling 25 major trophies in his managerial career. The Portuguese is regarded as one of the best managers of all time, despite his more recent efforts coming under some scrutiny.

Jamie Carragher has backed Mourinho to succeed at Spurs, telling Sky Sports: “He’s been hugely successful and that is the one thing Tottenham lack at this moment, no matter how well Pochettino’s done.

“They haven’t quite got over the line in getting a trophy and normally that’s what Jose Mourinho does when he goes to a club.”

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