Spurs’ top four hope has been dealt a huge blow after they lost 2 – 1 to rivals West Ham at the London stadium on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho’s side conceded early in both halves as goals from Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard put t hosts ahead. A Lucas Moura’s 64th minute header seemed to have brought the visitors back into the game but David Moyes’ side held on for the three points.
Tottenham suffered a second straight defeat in the Premier League; winning just one of their past five games to occupy the ninth position on the table, while West Ham are up to fourth.
Mourinho had led Spurs to the top of the table back in December after 12 Premier League games, but it feels like a distant memory owing to the club’s dip in form that has left supporters fuming.
The Portuguese has already been tipped for a possible sack in the wake of today’s defeat. However, ESPN claimed the 57-year-old’s future will only be decided at the end of the season.
The report added that the exorbitant cost Tottenham would have to pay to sack Mourinho, has given the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss more time to keep his job.
Cost of axing him would prove prohibitive – and ESPN believes the figure would be around £30m, as quoted in Daily Mail.
Mourinho is contracted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the summer of 2023, with no break clause included.
If he were to lose his job, this would continue a trend of parting company from his recent managerial posts at Chelsea and Manchester United.
Meanwhile, former Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel claims Mourinho deserves the chance to see out the season.
“It doesn’t look as though Jose has lost the backing of his players,” Friedel told Ladbrokes.
“What Daniel Levy and the board’s conversations are with Mourinho, I don’t know. They’re sitting ninth in the table; they’re definitely going to want to be higher than that.
“If they drop any lower by the end of the season then Jose getting fired is definitely a possibility.
“I don’t like seeing managers getting hired and fired all the time, but I understand that fans and boards want instant success.
“My take on the situation is that a manager should only really be moved on if they’ve lost the dressing room, and I’m not seeing that at Tottenham right now.”
