Mourinho hails Spurs squad and 'best stadium in the world' in first interview
Tottenham have a squad and youth system to be proud of, along with the best stadium in the world, says Jose Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho "couldn't be happier" with his inheritance from Mauricio Pochettino as he prepares to lead Tottenham at "the best stadium in the world".
Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho was appointed as Spurs' new head coach on Wednesday, concluding a whirlwind 11-hour period that began with Pochettino's shock sacking.
Having railed against the resources at his disposal as his Old Trafford tenure turned sour, the 57-year-old spoke warmly of a Spurs squad languishing in 14th position in the Premier League this term.
"I couldn't be happier and if I was not as happy as I am I wouldn't be here," Mourinho said in an interview with Spurs TV.
"What can I promise? Passion for my job but also passion for my club. It's a privilege when a manager goes to a club and feels that happiness in relation to the squad that he's going to have. These are not words of the moment. They are not words of me being the Tottenham head coach. These are words that I told and repeated in the past three, four, five years - even as an opponent."
"I always told about the club's potential, I always told about the qualities of the players, I always told the magnificent work the club was doing."
A reluctance to promote young talent from within has been a criticism frequently levelled at Mourinho throughout a decorated career, although he suggested a Tottenham youth system that has produced first-team regulars such as Harry Kane and Harry Winks will give him the tools he requires.
“I couldn’t be happier and if I was not as happy as I am, I wouldn’t be here.”
On Tottenham's current lowly standing, Mourinho added: "In the Premier League, we know where we are and we know we don't belong there. We should just play match after match, the next match we want to win and that's the same about the next and the next and the next until the last. At the end of the season we will see where we are, but I know that we are going to be in a different position than we are now."