Mourinho to bring 'passion' and 'happiness' to Tottenham
Jose Mourinho has promised to bring ‘passion’ to his new role as Tottenham Hotspur manager, while talking about the ‘huge respect’ that he has for the club.
Giving his first interview as Tottenham’s new boss to Spurs TV, Mourinho repeatedly stressed that he would bring passion to his new position, as well as highlighting his excitement at working in the club’s new stadium and training complex.
"What can I promise?” said Mourinho. “Passion, real passion. Passion for my job, but also passion for my club, that's the way I have been all my career and I want to try, obviously, everything to bring happiness to everyone who loves the club."
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"Even as an opponent, there was always huge respect between me and the club. I met you in cup finals, in semi-finals, in big matches and to keep that respect was probably in the back of my mind that one day I could be one of you."
On the club’s facilities, the two-time Champions League winner was glowing in his reference. He said: "I think you are too humble when you say, 'beautiful stadium', too humble. You have to say the best stadium in the world. That's the reality.
"The training ground is second to none. It probably can only be compared with some American Football training grounds. You cannot compare it with European football at any level, and I've been in the majority of the best places."
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The 56-year-old was also eager to stress that this was a squad that he already liked, and that didn’t need wholesale changes.
"It's a privilege when a manager goes to a club and feels that happiness in relation to the squad he is going to have.
"It didn't happen many times. To be honest, the majority of the times we go to clubs and we always think 'we like some, I don't like enough' and you think immediately about what to do to change, what to do to make an approach between your ideas and the profile of the players.
"This is a completely different case. I really like this squad."
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Mourinho has been without a job in management since he was sacked by Manchester United last December.
His new contract runs until the end of the 2022/23 season, with the aim of bringing silverware to the club for the first time since a League Cup win in 2008.
Despite the club reaching the Champions League final last May, no team has lost more Premier League games in 2019 than the one that the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss has just inherited.
The currently sit 14th in the Premier League, 20 points behind leaders Liverpool and 10 points off a Champions League spot.
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