Gary Neville gives intriguing take on Tottenham’s appointment of Jose Mourinho

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Gary Neville has told Sky Sports that Jose Mourinho’s appointment as Tottenham Hotspur manager is nothing more than a “marriage of convenience” and that Daniel Levy needed a quick fix rather than a long-term solution.

Mourinho is set to take charge of his second game for Tottenham on Tuesday night as Spurs play host to Greek champions Olympiacos. The two sides drew 2-2 in the reverse fixture, but Spurs have won their last two European games.

‘The Special One’ earned Spurs’ first away league win in 10 months with a 3-2 win at the London Stadium against West Ham United. Spurs did go 3-0 up after an hour, but Michail Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna made the scoreline a lot better.

Many were surprised that Mourinho was appointed because they believed that the Portuguese gaffer was not the right fit for Spurs. Optimism has since replaced that, but Neville has given an intriguing take on Mourinho replacing Mauricio Pochettino.

“I think this is to protect finances,” Neville said. “This is the new stadium, this is that the team are half falling apart. They’re trying to keep it together with a big-name manager. It is absolutely a bridge for Daniel Levy.

“It is a bridge for Mourinho, too. He needed to get back in the Premier League to re-establish himself. Levy needed someone to get the club back into the Champions League, quickly. This is a marriage of convenience.

“Levy is not stupid enough to expose himself to a £25m payout to Jose. Mourinho is not soft enough to let Levy mess around him. This has got prenuptual written all over it. It is a hard, cold conversation between two calculated people.

“I am interested to see how it goes. The contract will be centred around what he will get if he does this, and what he will not get if he fails to do that. Ultimately, both of them will have protected themselves.”

TBR’s view – Analysing Neville’s claim and is it really that loveless?

The overall feeling after Pochettino’s dismissal was sadness and dreams of what could have been had the Argentine been given the money to spend. Some feel Mourinho is a big name and could take Spurs to the next level.

Others think he is the wrong man for Spurs, given a difference in styles. Neville’s comments make sense, though in retrospect it is not the worst reason to hire a manager given both parties are looking to achieve the same things.

Mourinho will not want to remain at Tottenham for much longer than a couple of years. So Neville is right, it is a bridge for both managers. It really is that loveless, but it might just reproduce the romance.