Ferdinand baffled at ‘mad move’ by Spurs to sack Mourinho

Joe Williams
Jose Mourinho Rio Ferdinand
Jose Mourinho Rio Ferdinand

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand thinks it was a “mad move” by Spurs to sack Jose Mourinho “at a mad time”.

The announcement came three days after a 2-2 draw at Everton which ended with a concerning injury for Harry Kane, and denied the 58-year-old Mourinho the chance to deliver Tottenham’s first piece of silverware in 13 years when they face Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday in the Carabao Cup.

Spurs’ playing style under Mourinho had been heavily criticised, while they’ve shown a soft underbelly recently by throwing away numerous leads to draw or lose matches.


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But Ferdinand reckons the timing of the sacking “doesn’t make sense” and described it as “a mad move at a mad time”.

Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel: “I was and I wasn’t. The cup final is this weekend, the timing of it!

“If you said to me, ‘Rio you’ve got to bet everything you’ve got – will he get sacked this summer or not?’ I would have said yes, especially if they finish outside the top four.

“But the timing man, it just doesn’t make sense and I think there’s going to be more fall-out from this as to why he’s gone now.

“It’s not normal for a manager to be sacked a week before a cup final. Has he disagreed with what’s going on with the European Super League and Spurs joining it? I don’t know.

“There could be so many different reasons why he’s gone. But Mourinho doesn’t do things conventionally, does he? This is a mad move at a mad time and I need to hear more.”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy spoke of his regret at firing Mourinho, he said on the club’s official website: “Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club.

“Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic.

“On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged.

“He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”