Prem boss admired but Spurs chiefs facing ‘enormous’ Mourinho problem

Jonny Whitfield 16 Feb 2021 10:38 AM

Tottenham chiefs including chairman Daniel Levy reportedly have an admiration for Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers amid doubts over Jose Mourinho’s future.

Spurs sat top of the Premier League after 12 games, but they have since suffered a downturn in form.

Indeed, they have only picked up 12 points from 12 games and have slipped to ninth, with a game in hand.

As such, pressure has mounted on Mourinho, with speculation rising that he could face the sack.

According to the Daily Mail, Foxes manager Rodgers is among those who the north London club are looking at. What’s more, RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann has admirers at Spurs.

However, the newspaper adds that Tottenham currently have great reluctance to move on from Mourinho.

Despite Spurs’ Premier League downturn, they are in the Carabao Cup final. Therefore, the Portuguese manager could yet be the person to end the club’s trophy drought.

They would also believe that they have a decent chance of winning the Europa League; triumph in Europe would grant them automatic access to the Champions League.

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As such, Levy and his fellow officials want to wait until the end of the season to assess the situation further.

However, there is deeper financial concern driving Spurs’ reluctance to make a decision.

Financial Mourinho concerns a problem

Mourinho earns £15million a year – one of the best managerial salaries in the world. However, he would also demand a ‘substantial’ package should his contract be ended early.

Spurs have only recently stopped paying for Mauricio Pochettino‘s premature lay-off in November 2019.

Therefore, the cost of sacking Mourinho and finding a replacement would reportedly prove ‘enormous’.

Tottenham are already in financial struggles, with their new, state-of-the-art stadium sitting empty due to the coronavirus.

Overall, the north London outfit are wary of jumping to conclusions.

Spurs return to action on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie with Wolfsberger.