Premier League
DOWNBEAT JOSE MOURINHO IS PICTURED LEAVING SPURS’ TRAINING BASE FOR THE LAST TIME
Jose Mourinho has been spotted leaving Tottenham’s training ground hours after the axe was wielded on his tumultuous reign.
The 58-year-old was dismissed on Monday morning with the club on course to miss out on the Champions League and having exited the Europa League in humiliating fashion.
The 2-2 draw at Everton proved to be the final straw for Daniel Levy and now, soon after being told of his sacking, Mourinho has been snapped being driven away from the Hotspur Way complex for the final time.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid coach, who has been sacked four times in England, was seen in the passenger seat of a sleek vehicle.
It looked as though dismay was etched across the face of the crestfallen Special One as he left.
He was seen leaving the Spurs training complex just after 3.30pm on Monday morning and arrived back in his west London home later on Monday afternoon.
Mourinho was seen taking his belongings from his Spurs office back into his home with goalkeeper coach Nuno Santos helping him. The items included several large images of the Portuguese coach’s career highlights.
As he arrived back at his home, Mourinho refused to open up on his Spurs exit, but insisted he is ready to take another job in football straight away.
He told Sky Sports: ‘No need for breaks and (recharging) batteries. I’m always in football.’
When asked by Sky Sports whether it was unfair he had been sacked just before a cup final, he stopped for a moment and grinned but made no further comment.
The bombshell announcement was made by Tottenham less than a week before they take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Mourinho also departs as the fallout continues following confirmation that the north London club will join a number of top-flight peers in the European Super League.
Mourinho will walk away with up to £20million as part of a hefty compensation package.
The amount will not surpass that figure, sources have said, due to the performance-related clauses written into his contract.
Mourinho will be placed on gardening leave, which means Tottenham will continue to pay him as normal until he takes up another job elsewhere.
Tottenham are seventh in the Premier League which, combined with failures in Europe, effectively means Mourinho is not entitled to his full compensation.
A statement confirming the sacking read: ‘The Club can today announce that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have been relieved of their duties.’
‘Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a Club,’ chairman Levy said.
‘Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged.
‘He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.’
Ryan Mason, the former Tottenham and Hull City midfielder, will take the reins, assisted by Chris Powell, until the end of the season.
Mason, 29, took charge of first-team training on Monday.
The search for Mourinho’s permanent successor is now underway.
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has been identified as the favourite to take over.
Tottenham have been long-term admirers of Nagelsmann, who is widely deemed as one of the most talented young coaches in world football.
It is believed that Naglesmann, who is only 33, was under consideration for the Spurs hotseat after Pochettino’s departure in 2019, although Mourinho was later handed the job.
Leipzig will not allow Nagelsmann to leave this summer, however, without receiving a compensation package worth £17m.
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid coach Mourinho’s last game in charge at Tottenham came in the 2-2 draw against Everton on Friday.
Despite Harry Kane’s leveller at Goodison Park, the dropped points dealt a major blow to their hopes of securing a spot in the Champions League.
Sources have claimed that the underwhelming display proved to be the final straw.
Talisman and vice-captain Harry Kane paid tribute to Mourinho after the news broke.
‘Thank you for everything boss,’ Kane wrote on social media. ‘A pleasure to have worked together. I wish you all the best for your next chapter.’
The cup final next weekend represents a chance for Spurs to lift silverware for the first time since their triumph in the same competition in 2008.
Mourinho will no longer lead them out at Wembley, though, with little tangible progress made over the last season and a half.
He could only guide Tottenham to a sixth-placed finish during his first campaign in charge, albeit after taking over halfway through with the team languishing in 14th.
This term has been a step back, with the north London outfit knocked out of Europe in humiliating fashion by Dinamo Zagreb and reeling from other poor results.
For the first time in his managerial career, Mourinho was made to suffer 10 league defeats in a single season.
The on-field misery also saw Tottenham drop 20 points from winning positions this season. No other top-flight club has lost more when leading.
His options to take up another top job are likely to be dwindling after his latest sacking, having now been shown the exit door four times in England.
With Chelsea (twice), Manchester United and now Tottenham all choosing to axe him, Mourinho is sure to be running out of choices.
He has enjoyed great success in Italy, Spain and Portugal, so could be forced to take a job in one of those countries and move away from England.
-Daily Mail
Liverpool will have to wait for a few more days to be crowned Premier League champions despite a 1-0 victory at Leicester City after Arsenal kept their slender hopes just about alive with a 4-0 romp at 10-man Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score Liverpool’s winner in the 76th minute at the King Power Stadium to restore their 13-point lead at the top with five games left.
While Liverpool can almost taste a record-equalling 20th English crown, Leicester’s defeat confirmed their relegation back to the Championship after just one season.
The Midlands club have now been relegated from England’s top flight a record 13 times.
Chelsea secured a massive win in their bid to qualify for the Champions League as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage with Pedro Neto scoring in stoppage time.
The win pushed Chelsea above Nottingham Forest in to fifth place, the last spot for qualification to the Champions League, although Forest play at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
Chelsea have 57 points from 33 games, two behind third-placed Newcastle United and one behind Manchester City. Forest and Aston Villa are level with Chelsea on 57 points.
Wolverhampton Wanderers guaranteed their safety as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. Pablo Sarabia’s stunning free kick wrapped up a fifth successive league win, the first time Wolves have achieved that in the top flight since 1970.
Liverpool were wasteful at Leicester with numerous chances going begging and Mohamed Salah suffering a frustrating afternoon including hitting both posts with an early shot.
Salah hit the woodwork again moments before the ball came out to Alexander-Arnold who fired a left-footed shot through the crowd to give his side the points — ripping off his shirt and celebrating wildly with the travelling fans.
“We just keep going, mentally we’re really strong,” manager Arne Slot, whose side could be crowned champions if Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, told Sky Sports.
“They enjoy playing football and it helps when you are playing for something special. Today (Alexander-Arnold) knows when it matters most he can just bring a bit more which is something all the top, top players have.”
DISTANT SECOND
If Arsenal avoid defeat by Palace, Slot’s side will seal the title if they beat Tottenham Hotspur at home next Sunday.
“We will focus on Tottenham and looking forward again to a home game and I think the stadium will be full,” Slot, who can become the first Dutch manager to win the English title, said. “It’s a nice game to look forward to.”
Liverpool have 79 points with Arsenal a distant second on 66. Arsenal may have their eyes now on a Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain, but they showed against Ipswich they will not hand over the title to Liverpool.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring early on and Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-0 after a delightful flick by Mikel Merino.
Ipswich were reduced to 10 men before halftime as Leif Davis crudely raked his studs down the back of Bukayo Saka’s calf and the second half was academic.
Trossard grabbed his second in the 69th minute and Ethan Nwaneri added a late fourth to leave Ipswich stuck in 18th place on 21 points. They will be relegated if they drop points again or 17th-placed West Ham United pick up one more point from their remaining five games.
Chelsea were heading for a damaging defeat at neighbours Fulham as the hosts led with Alex Iwobi’s 20th-minute goal.
Substitute Tyrique George equalised with an instinctive shot in the 83rd minute, his first Premier League goal, before winger Neto swivelled and unleashed a thunderous strike in stoppage time to send the away fans wild.
Manchester United reached the Europa League semi-final with an astonishing comeback win against French club Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday but their Premier League woes returned against Wolves.
They are in 14th place and have now lost eight Premier League home games this season, their most defeats at Old Trafford in a league campaign since 1962-63.
“Wolves scored in the only opportunity they had. we had many chances, and we didn’t score. If you don’t score goals, you are not going to win games,” manager Ruben Amorim said.
-Reuters
Egyptian outlet, Ahram, has reported that Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with Liverpool, extending his stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season as he prepares for what could be the final chapter of a storied career with the club.
While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, British media reports indicate the 32-year-old forward has signed a two-year extension, keeping him at the club until at least 2027.
Salah, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, has become a modern-day icon at Anfield.
The Egyptian international has scored 243 goals in 394 appearances—third on the club’s all-time scorers list—and has helped the Reds secure seven major trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.
“I had my best years here,” Salah told the club’s website. “Hopefully it’s going to be 10. I signed because I believe we can still win big trophies together.”
He has maintained his prolific form this season, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. His 27 Premier League goals currently lead the division.
During his time with Liverpool, Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and claimed two FWA Footballer of the Year awards.
Now entering the latter stages of his career, Salah remains focused on adding more silverware to his collection and further cementing his legacy at Liverpool.
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Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga, who became the second-youngest Premier League player when he made his senior debut in Monday’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United, had to wear a blank shirt because it is sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.
Britain’s Gambling Act 2005, which underwent a review in 2020, prohibits players under 18 from wearing kits displaying gambling sponsors. Monga, an England U16 international, made his senior debut at 15 years 271 days old.
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri remains the youngest Premier League player in history, having debuted in the competition when he was 90 days younger than Monga.
Leicester, who suffered an eighth straight loss in the league without scoring a goal, are 19th in the standings, 15 points below the safety zone.
-Reuters
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