Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle has admitted that he will never understand why the North London club sacked Jose Mourinho the week of the League Cup final in 2021 and believes it has shaped the future of Spurs.
Many were surprised when the former Chelsea boss took over Tottenham in 2019 but the idea behind the appointment was that the legendary coach would bring a long-awaited trophy to North London before his time was up.
Mourinho’s time with Spurs did not go to plan, however, the serial winner was on the verge of achieving his goal in 2021.
The 61-year-old brought Tottenham to the League Cup final in 2021 where they faced the tough task of trying to overcome Pep Guardiola’s Man City side.
Results in the build-up to Wembley were very underwhelming for Mourinho and Tottenham, but the logical thing would have been to decide on the Portuguese coach’s future after the cup final. However, Levy opted to sack the legendary football figure the week of the big game, leaving the inexperienced Ryan Mason to face Guardiola and Man City.
Levy’s plan backfired as Tottenham would lose the final 1-0 and it is a decision Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle doesn’t understand to this day.
Glenn Hoddle will never “understand” Jose Mourinho decision at Tottenham
Glenn Hoddle is this week’s special guest on Stick to Football, where the former Tottenham star discussed various moments in his life from Spurs to managing England.
While discussing the current state of Tottenham, the pundit admitted that he believes Daniel Levy made a massive mistake at Spurs in 2021 by sacking Mourinho before the League Cup final.
Hoddle was asked: “If they won something Glenn playing a brand of football that isn’t the Spurs way, should the modern fan be ok with that?
To which the 67-year-old responded: “They tried that with Conte. No, I think there is a massive mistake that Daniel Levy made. Jose got them to a cup final, it was a League Cup final, a stepping stone, but he sacked him on Monday, that doesn’t make sense to me and it never will.
“I don’t understand that at all. He brought him in to win a trophy and he has a good record against Pep and City as well.”
The former England coach went on to explain that if Tottenham won that cup, it could have led to more success down the line as it would have attracted more players to the North London outfit.