Money, money, money. In his time as a professional manager, Jose Mourinho has managed some of the biggest and best clubs in the world. The likes of Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United. And all of those had a very common theme of the ‘Special One’ spending large sums of cash to try and build the kind of squad he wanted.
Could he really be a successful manager if he didn’t have those resources? He showed certainly in that miraculous Champions League triumph with Porto that it can be done, but that was way more than a decade ago. And that is exactly why his appointment as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor at Tottenham raises an intriguing prospect.
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Daniel Levy has never been one to splash the cash – a notoriously shrewd businessman, trying to squeeze the best deal possible out of everything. The north London side are in the rare position where their record signing (Tanguy Ndombele at £53.8m), costs less than their record sale (Gareth Bale at £85.3m).
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So when Mourinho was given the job, was it an indication that he had convinced Levy to open the chequebook? Perhaps in the Portuguese man’s case, it offers a chance at carving out a new legacy, which is why the latest reports about the January transfer window are particularly encouraging.
According to The Daily Mail, Mourinho appears to be taking a bit of caution when it comes to his plans for next month. It claims that whilst the Portuguese man will be provided funds by Daniel Levy to make some improvements to the first-team squad, he is “not planning to spend extravagantly straight away”.
If the stick to beat, or judge, Mourinho’s managerial career, is that his success comes down to being able to spend shed-loads of money, then he has the perfect opportunity at Spurs to show that is not the case. After being appointed the Lilywhites’ boss, he made it clear that he had changed from his time at Old Trafford, and that a year away from the touch-line had allowed him to reassess and re-evaluate.
“I think, I have to believe so. I always thought these 11 months were not a waste of time. They were months to think, to analyse, to prepare. You never lose your DNA, you never lose your identity, but I have time to think about many things. During my career I have made mistakes.”
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If he has done as he has said, then the 56-year-old can prove that in no uncertain terms by refusing to splash out in the January window. Instead, he can lay down a marker that he is a changed coach and manager, capable of leading sides to the top without a blank cheque in front of him. It would be the ultimate seal on his undeniable legacy, and prove he really is the ‘Special One’.
Meanwhile, Tottenham fending off interest from Premier League rivals to sign starlet hailed by Luis Campos would be a major coup.
