Jose Mourinho on Wednesday was appointed to replace the sacked Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham, with a brief to revive the flagging fortunes of a club languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager has signed a contract until the end of the 2022/23 season.
“I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters,” said Mourinho, who has won domestic league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.
“The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”
Mourinho’s glittering CV includes Champions League titles with Porto and Inter Milan.
The 56-year-old also won three Premier League titles over two spells in charge of Chelsea, and returned to England to manage Manchester United in 2016.
“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football,” said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. “He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician.
“He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”
The club tweeted a picture of their new Portuguese boss holding a Spurs shirt ahead of his first match in charge — a London derby at West Ham United on Saturday.
Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United last December following a poor run and has been without a club since, most recently working as a TV pundit.
He remains a big name but there will be questions over whether his pragmatic style can mesh with Tottenham’s tradition of attacking football, a problem he also faced at Old Trafford.
Argentine Pochettino was dismissed on Tuesday, with Spurs struggling in the league after picking up just three wins from 12 games. The 47-year-old had transformed the club’s fortunes since arriving in 2014, and although he failed to win a trophy, he took Spurs to the Champions League final.