Paul Merson lauds Jose Mourinho over two Spurs summer signings

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Paul Merson has told Sky Sports that Jose Mourinho has proved how special he is with the deals that brought Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt Doherty to Tottenham Hotspur over the summer.

Spurs have put themselves right in early contention in the Premier League title race. And for a brief period on Sunday, they actually went top of the table after beating West Brom.

Mourinho’s men have won five of their last six in all competitions. And domestically, they are unbeaten since the opening day of the campaign.

One of their most impressive performers so far this term has been Hojbjerg. The former Southampton captain signed for £15 million (via Sky Sports), and has quickly established himself as a key man in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Doherty has shown glimpses of the form that made him so valuable to Wolves. It was his ball into the box at the weekend that allowed Harry Kane to score the late winner against West Brom.

According to the Guardian, Spurs paid just £14.7 million for the right-back. And, while Merson has clearly been impressed by Hojbjerg, he insisted that he could not get his head around Wolves’s decision to let the Republic of Ireland international go.

“This is where Mourinho is special,” he told Sky Sports when discussing transfers. “He sees things others don’t. He sees what he needs, and he doesn’t just go out and buy players for the sake of it.

“In Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, they needed that ball-winning midfielder to break things up and then there are the full-backs.

“I couldn’t believe Wolves let Matt Doherty go. For the price Wolves let him go for, I didn’t get that one at all.”

TBR View: Spurs benefitting from pragmatic transfer approach

Tottenham certainly seem to have altered their transfer strategy in recent times. They are still recruiting young players. But Mourinho has been able to sign more established names as well.

And, while there is a long way to go this season, that has potentially allowed Tottenham fans to wonder if the squad is ready to push for silverware over the coming months.