Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy admits it was a ‘MISTAKE’ to appoint ‘trophy managers’ Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte as he praises ‘breath of fresh air’ Ange Postecoglou

• Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008, a feat Levy desperately desired
• Things ended badly under both Mourinho and Conte and their stays were brief
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!

Tottenham manager Daniel Levy has admitted that appointing ‘trophy managers’ Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were two mistakes.

Levy received heavy criticism from large sections of the Tottenham fanbase for his appointment of Mourinho, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino in 2019 and Conte, who went into the club after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked.

It was assumed that they had been brought into the club to try and deliver instant success to the club, which still has not won a trophy since the League Cup in 2008.

But things didn’t go to plan on either occasion, with both eventually sacked, with Conte criticising Levy and the Tottenham squad before his departure last season. 

Levy was speaking at a fan forum on Thursday when asked about the appointments, and, though he did not mention them by names, he explained his regrets in giving both men their jobs. 

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy (pictured) has admitted it was a ‘mistake’ to appoint Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte

Levy said he appointed the dup as ‘trophy managers’ but said they ‘weren’t right for the club’

Levy heaped the praise on new and current boss Ange Postecoglou, who he described as ‘a breath of fresh air’

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‘I want to win as much as everybody else, but the frustration of not winning and the pressure from maybe some players and from a large element of the fanbase, that we need to win, we need to spend money, we need to have a big manager, we need to have a big name, it affected me,’ he said.

‘I had gone through a period where we’d almost won. With Mauricio we went through some very good times. We didn’t quite get there but we came very close and we had a change in strategy.

‘The strategy was let’s bring in a trophy manager. We did it twice and look you have to learn from your mistakes. They’re great managers but maybe not for this club.

‘We want to play in a certain way and if that means it has to take a little bit longer to win maybe it’s the right thing for us. That’s why bringing Ange [Postecoglou] in was from my point of view the right decision.’

Levy was joined on stage by new manager Postecoglou, women’s manager Robert Vilahamn and senior captains Son Heung-min and Beth England.

Spurs have enjoyed a positive start to life under Postecoglou, winning four of their opening five Premier League matches and sitting second in the league table with one draw also to their name.

The Australian has received plaudits for his style of football, which Levy praised after describing the uncomplicated of appointing him to ensure the club ‘played in a certain way.

Tottenham have enjoyed a successful start to the season under Postecoglou, sitting second in the Premier League table

Levy stated the importance of getting the club’s ‘DNA’ back in playing attacking football under the club’s current manager

‘It was very easy, because Ange I would say is just a normal bloke and it was wonderful to be able to have a conversation with him where we could talk about anything and he was very direct and honest,’ he said.

“I like someone who just tells me as it is, no one that plays games, no one that says one thing to me and then one thing to someone else. This club needed to go back to its roots.

‘Honestly, there was a lot of pressure on me to bring in somebody that was a big name. I just wanted somebody who understood our DNA, would play attacking football, that would give young players a chance, believe in the academy, would build a relationship with the fans and understand the resources that we have and don’t have as a club and be part of a team. 

‘Ange, I have to say, is a breath of fresh air.’

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