Updated 17.10
FORMER CHELSEA BOSS Andre Villas-Boas has been appointed as the new Tottenham manager on a three-year contract as confirmed by the club.
The former Chelsea boss emerged as the outstanding candidate during a process that lasted almost three weeks since Spurs sacked Harry Redknapp last month.
Chairman Daniel Levy was so impressed by Villas-Boas during a series of talks that he shelved plans to talk to Laurent Blanc, the former France coach who started the process as the leading candidate.
Villas-Boas will also bring in his own backroom team. The 34-year-old is pleased to have taken over at White Hart Lane and believes any coach would love to work with the existing squad of players.
“Tottenham Hotspur is a great club with a strong tradition and fantastic support, both at home and throughout the world,” Villas-Boas told the club’s website.
“I feel privileged to be its coach. For me, this is one of the most exciting coaching positions in the Premier League. I have had several discussions with the chairman and the board and I share their vision for the future progress of the club.
“This is a squad any coach would love to work with and together I believe we can bring success in the seasons ahead.”
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy also revealed his excitement at the Villas-Boas appointment, saying: “I am delighted that Andre has agreed to become our new head coach.
“He has an outstanding reputation for his technical knowledge of the game and for creating well-organised teams capable of playing football in an attractive and attacking style.
“Andre shares our long-term ambitions and ethos of developing players and nurturing young talent and he will be able to do so now at a new world class training centre. We are constantly looking to move the club forward. It is important that we now look to develop the potential within the squads at all levels, whilst strengthening the first team in the summer in key positions with players who will become part of the future success of the club.”
Spurs have also confirmed two members of Villas-Boas’ coaching staff have joined the club – with Jose Mario Rocha becoming their first team fitness coach and Daniel Sousa taking the head of opposition scouting role.
Arrivals
He will appoint an assistant manager, while Jose Mario Rocha is expected to arrive at White Hart Lane as a fitness coach and Daniel Sousa as opposition scout.
The 34-year-old’s appointment is a brave move from Spurs after his unsuccessful spell at Chelsea, who sacked him in March after a miserable eight months in west London in which he clashed with several senior members of the squad.
He was, however, hugely successful in his single season at Porto in 2010/11, when he won four trophies and was billed as the next Jose Mourinho, for whom he used to work.
Villas-Boas will meet the players for the start of pre-season training next week before the squad embarks on a pre-season tour of the United States ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle on August 18.
He fits the club’s desire for a young, progressive manager who can get Spurs back in the Champions League with an attacking brand of football, while lowering the average age of the squad and making shrewd signings in the transfer market.
To that end, the Portuguese will be heavily backed, with Spurs ready to spend up to 70 million pounds on new players, although that will be partly offset by the anticipated departure of Luka Modric to Real Madrid.
Villas-Boas will look to convince Modric to stay and assess the rest of the squad when their pre-season preparations kick into gear next week, but has already been heavily involved in proposed transfers.
Tim Sherwood, the club’s technical co-ordinator, is also expected to receive a promotion as the Londoners take a more consultative approach towards transfers than under Redknapp.
Tottenham believe they have beaten Liverpool in the race to sign midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson for eight million pounds from Hoffenheim, with the 22-year-old having agreed personal terms and completed a medical.
Jan Vertonghen, the Ajax captain, is also likely to join in a 9.6 million pound deal once he has resolved a dispute with the Dutch club over his entitlement to a 15 percent share of the transfer fee.
