Winning Trophies Is Not Tottenham’s Priority Now – Gary Neville

Jose Mourinho’s switch to Spurs is a marriage of convenience and both parties are using each other for their own short-term benefit, according to Gary Neville.

Mou came back into English football last week, penning a 3-and-a-half year deal with Tottenham eleven months after his dismissal by Manchester United.

However, Neville believes the prospect of winning trophies is not primary for Spurs right now, and qualifying for the UCL is their main concern.

His words, “I think this (Mourinho’s appointment) is to protect finances, this is to protect revenue,”

This is a new stadium and a team that is half falling apart due to contracts running out and a little bit of destabilisation of the squad. He (Levy) is trying to keep them together by bringing in a big name manager.

“This is absolutely a bridge for Daniel Levy – it’s a bridge for Jose Mourinho. Mourinho needed to get back into the Premier League to re-establish himself and he wanted to be in London.

“Levy needs someone who would get the football club quickly up to a level that is acceptable, into the Champions League. This is a marriage of convenience.”

“People said to me last week it is a three-and-a-half year contract. Daniel Levy is not stupid enough as an operator to expose himself to a £25 million payout to Jose Mourinho unless there are certain triggers hit and certain achievements made,” added Neville.

“Jose Mourinho isn’t stupid enough and soft enough to allow Daniel Levy to mess him around, sack him after 10 minutes and damage his reputation.

“This has got prenuptial written all over it like you would not believe.

“I think this is a hard, cold conversation between two men who respect where each other are at, but actually never saw themselves working together, and essentially using each other as a bridge to get where they need to be.

“Jose wants to be back in the elite of European football, winning trophies. Daniel Levy needs to be in the Champions League and has to keep the players he has currently got.

“I’m delighted he is back in the Premier League, he has lit up the league for 20 years. I’ve never bought into the theory he was a spent force at Man Utd and I’m interested to see how he gets on.

“But the contract will be so detailed around what he has to do. Ultimately I think they both will have protected themselves.”