Jose Mourinho: New Spurs boss says he ‘won’t make same mistakes’ as at Manchester United

Jose Mourinho promised Tottenham Hotspur fans he “won’t make the same mistakes” as in previous jobs as he faced the media for the first time since replacing the sacked Mauricio Pochettino.

The Portuguese boss was appointed at the north London club earlier this week – his first job in football since being dismissed as manager of Manchester United last December.

It was the third time the 56-year-old had lost his job as a Premier League boss after twice being sacked by Chelsea; however, he is convinced that his time away from the dugout has done him the world of good.

Speaking at his debut Spurs news conference, the famously self-confident Mourinho insisted he was “humble” and had dedicated plenty of time over the past year to “analyse my career” and “its evolution”.

Mourinho, who had been a regular Sky Sports pundit so far this season, said: “I always thought that these 11 months were not a waste of time. They were months to think – to think, to analyse and to prepare.”

The former Real Madrid and Inter manager has taken over with Spurs lying 14th in the table, having won just five matches this season despite a stunning run to the Champions League final during the previous campaign.

Mourinho said “the door is always open” for Pochettino thanks to his work during five-and-a-half years at the club, although his tenure did not provide any major trophies.

His replacement, who was not born the last time Spurs won the league title in 1961, said: “The potential of the club is huge, the potential of the players is great.”

He added: “I know potentially I have a great job in my hands.”

Despite his struggles at Old Trafford, Mourinho brings a wealth of trophy-winning experience to Spurs, whose only silverware this century is the League Cup in 2008.

Mourinho has won the Premier League title three times across two spells at Chelsea, and league titles with Porto in his homeland, and with Inter in Italy and Real Madrid in Spain.

He has also won the Champions League twice, once with Porto and with Inter, and a collection of domestic cups across every country he has worked in.

Asked about his previous affiliation with Chelsea, Mourinho said: “I am a club man, but a many clubs man.”

He added: “I’m not Chelsea, I’m not United, I’m not Real Madrid, I’m not Inter – I am all of them, I gave everything to all of them and that is what I am going to do here, give everything.”

First up for Mourinho is a trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham on Saturday, with his first home fixture coming against in the Champions League against Olympiacos on Tuesday night.

He will return to Old Trafford to take on his struggling former side on 4 December, before a potentially dramatic festive fixture at home to Chelsea on 22 December.

(c) Sky News 2019: Jose Mourinho: New Spurs boss says he ‘won’t make same mistakes’ as at Manchester United