Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy revels in his reputation as a tough negotiator. Suitors have been repeatedly warned off attempting to sign the club’s best players, and the few who have succeeded have been forced to pay top dollar. However, the most important negotiations of Levy’s 17-year tenure at the club may be about to […]
Mourinho
Recent performances highlight folly of extending Mourinho’s contract
Even at the time it raised a few eyebrows. Jose Mourinho was only 19 months into a three-year contract at Manchester United when they offered him a new deal. During his first season and a half, Mourinho had won the EFL Cup and the Europa League, but few United fans celebrated the agreement that would […]
Mourinho clutching at straws
The 54-year-old Manchester United manager has an enviable record of winning the domestic league in his second season in charge of every team he has coached since 2002. In pre-season this achievement was used as powerful evidence that Jose Mourinho would replicate the feat for a fifth time and bring the title back to Old […]
Why Giggs should stay at Old Trafford
During the torturously laboured contract negotiations between Manchester United and Jose Mourinho, one of the most frequently discussed topics in the media was the potential impact the deal would have on Ryan Giggs. It is widely believed that as Mourinho puts his faith firmly in a close circle of lieutenants, Giggs will almost certainly be […]
Mourinho: The flawed genius
The strange behaviour exhibited by football managers often bemuses fans. Whether it’s Arsene Wenger’s frequent failure to see incidents, Alan Pardew headbutting an opposition player or Steve McClaren’s strange Dutch accent, many fans are often left wondering what goes through a manager’s head. Last season the pressure to maintain Leicester City’s Premier League status appeared […]
Willian signing will test Mourinho’s mettle
Upon his return to Chelsea, Jose Mourinho recognised he had inherited a young, talented but unbalanced squad. Signing Willian from under the noses of Tottenham is undoubtedly a coup, but it remains to be seen whether he was the right signing at a time when owner Roman Abramovich is tightening the purse strings to adhere […]