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Jose Mourinho next steps at Tottenham: January transfer targets, to-do list & what happens now after Mourinho succeeds Pochettino
Now it's down to work for Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, we look at who he might sign in January, his immediate to-do list and big games coming up.
Tottenham wasted no time at all in replacing Mauricio Pochettino with Mourinho, who now takes charge of a third Premier League side in his fourth spell after two stints at Chelsea and one at Manchester United.
'The Special One' will have to hit the ground running with Spurs already 11 points off the top four and way down in 14th in the table after a poor start to the season.
A proven winner, Mourinho will fancy he has enough talent at his disposal to end Tottenham's long wait for silverware, while getting in the Champions League places will most likely be Daniel Levy's top priority.
Jose Mourinho season specials
- 100/30 - Finish in the fop four
- 5/1 - Win a major trophy
- 5/1 - Beat Man Utd twice
- 28/1 - Win the Champions League
Let's run through what Mourinho will have to get right as he embarks on his latest managerial appointment..
Mourinho's to-do list
Win a trophy
It sound so simple, but it's something Spurs have found so difficult to do over the years, and bringing in Mourinho, who has won trophies everywhere he has been, is a huge step towards ending that long drought. This one may be of different importance to the club's fans and owners, with Levy arguably more interested in Champions League football but the Spurs faithful craving silverware.
For Mourinho, too, it'll be high on his list. He's always keen to list his achievements and he'll want to stick one in Tottenham's dusty trophy cabinet this season - he'll certainly be aiming at the FA Cup. Trophies were the one thing missing from Pochettino's reign, and it's been over a decade since Spurs won a trophy - Mourinho is well-fancied to change that.
Sort out contract rebels
Pochettino was undone largely by his players under-performing, and much of that stems from the likes of Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld all having contracts that expire at the end of the season - this could be the major problem Mourinho has to fix.
The likes of Danny Rose, Victor Wanyama and Serge Aurier are all also still there having been expected to leave, and the futures of all these players needs to be addressed before Mourinho can move forward with his rebuilding plan. Whether Levy will stump up the cash remains to be seen.
Mourinho must see if it's worth trying to convince Eriksen, Alderweireld and Vertonghen to stay or whether it's better to ship them out in January and try and bring in some fresh faces (see below) to kick-start their fortunes.
Mourinho to Tottenham
Cure Spurs' travel sickness
Part of Pochettino's demise was due to terrible away form. Spurs have won just three times on the road since January 10 - all in the Champions League. Their last away win in the league came at Fulham 12 games ago and that is simply not good enough for a side of Tottenham's quality. Putting that right will tie into Mourinho's ability to toughen them up as they have looked so flaky on their travels.
Keep Kane keen to stay
Gaffer. I’ll be forever thankful to you for helping me achieve my dreams. We’ve had some amazing moments in the last 5 and a half years that I will never forget. You were my manager but my friend as well and I thank you for that relationship. Good luck with your next chapter! 💙 pic.twitter.com/u64RXV7wd4
— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 20, 2019
There is no doubt who Tottenham's star man is, and Mourinho needs to do everything he can to ensure Kane is happy, scoring goals and keen to remain at the club for a long time. Big clubs around Europe will come sniffing around the England captain with Pochettino gone, hoping that Kane becomes unsettled, but Mourinho must make him his top man.
Ideally, Kane would start winning things at Spurs, and his chances of that might just have improved, but it would be a surprise if he was not linked with the super clubs this summer, especially if he has a good Euro 2020.
Jose's January transfer targets
Things can't wait until next summer for Spurs, such is the depth of their struggles, and Mourinho may have to make some moves in January - although his best strategy may be to focus on getting rid of those players who are running down their contracts.
If he does dip into the market, though, there are big names he could target.
Bruno Fernandes
Spurs made headway in bringing the Sporting Lisbon midfielder to the club in the summer, getting as far as agreeing personal terms before eventually pulling the plug on the deal once it became clear that Eriksen was not going to leave. Mourinho is a fan of his compatriot, who is having a brilliant season in Portugal, and could bring him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to help increase their creativity and guile.
Nemanja Matic
Not exactly the sexy pick, but Mourinho has signed the Serbian midfielder twice and could well look at making it the hat-trick to bolster Spurs' flimsy central midfield area. Matic cannot boss a game like he once did, but he has the experience and guile to operate in that deep-lying role and protect a back four to offer more solidity to the team.
That's something that, especially away from home, Spurs have badly lacked.
Paulo Dybala
The Juventus man came close to signing for both Manchester United and Tottenham in the summer, but the deal fell through on the financials, namely image rights, after personal terms and transfer fees were apparently agreed.
Dybala is usually warming the bench at Juventus behind Cristiano Ronaldo, so his interest could be sparked with joining a Mourinho-led team. Coming so soon after the near-miss, the deal could probably be picked up again relatively quickly, and the player may lower his demands to ensure he gets the move through this time. It'd certainly be a name to excite Spurs fans.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
👋 Zlatan leaving Los Angeles in the most Zlatan way possible
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) November 13, 2019
💪 @Ibra_official certainly isn't short of confidence, but the big question is - where next!?#LAGalaxy #Zlatan pic.twitter.com/swmFxct2f8
You can see the 'You're welcome London' tweet already - after Ibrahimovic said goodbye to Los Angeles Galaxy but insisted that he would be continuing his career. A high-profile move to London and Mourinho's new team would be a huge appeal to the Swede, who is about as high-profile as it gets.
He's 38, but is in great physical shape, knows English football well after starring at Manchester United and would be another huge name to please Levy's quest to make Spurs a global footballing brand. In many respects he ticks every box, with the only sticking point being how much football he would actually get with Kane about.
Sign a defender!
It seems impossible that Mourinho will not want to pay some sort of attention to his defence, given its leakiness so far this season. With the future of Alderweireld and Vertonghen unclear, the Portuguese will surely want to strengthen that area. He reportedly made a move for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly while at Manchester United, seeing a £95million bid rejected, but the 28-year-old might be available for much less now. Nathan Ake at Bournemouth might tickle Mourinnho's fancy while Nice right-back Youcef Atal has also been linked.
A tight defence was once a cornerstone of the Tottenham side, but that has been a key struggle this season. They have faced more shots in the Premier League than any other side, have kept just one clean sheet and conceded seven in a game against Bayern Munich. Mourinho is renowned for his ability to build a side that is defensively rigid and he will have to get to work quickly on drilling his new back line to make them far more solid.
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Tottenham's next five fixtures for Jose Mourinho
November 23 - West Ham (away)
Mourinho's first game in charge is a London derby on Saturday. The sides are just a point apart in the table with the Hammers, in 16th, having slumped after a bright start to the campaign. Spurs have not won in their last five league games but, after the surprise exit of Mauricio Pochettino, it will be interesting to see how the players respond.
December 4 - Manchester United (away)
Mourinho's appointment at Tottenham indicates his reputation has not been overly damaged by the bitter end to his two-and-a-half-year stint at United, but the trip to Old Trafford early in his Spurs tenure will be a reminder of where things went wrong. United's form has been patchy this term, and this will be an intriguing contest.
December 11 - Bayern Munich (away)
The Portuguese has been linked with a number of positions over the last 11 months, including the hotseat at German giants Bayern. The rumours may not have developed into anything serious but the club's profile would undoubtedly have suited him. This Champions League glamour clash will instantly appeal, although Spurs - who were thrashed 7-2 by Bayern in October - will hope to have already secured their last-16 place.
December 22 - Chelsea (home)
Barely a month into his reign, Mourinho will have to face another of his former clubs. He had some happy and successful times at Chelsea but, again, things ended in acrimony. Plenty of water has passed under the bridge at Stamford Bridge since and the current side are thriving under Frank Lampard - who starred playing under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge - but, with little love between the two sets of fans, a feisty encounter awaits.
January 11 - Liverpool (home)
Mourinho will be able to measure his side against the Premier League's best in the new year, with the game against Liverpool followed by a visit from champions Manchester City on February 1. Liverpool have been the outstanding team of the season so far. In the recent past Spurs have tackled them head on, playing a similar style, but Mourinho may try to nullify them in the way his United sides did.