Jose Mourinho says Tottenham was the only club where he lacked a personal connection

Jose Mourinho says Tottenham was the only club he managed where he did not develop a strong human connection, with the Portuguese coach blaming the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on his experience in north London.

Mourinho, who is currently manager of Benfica, told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport that he has maintained good relationships with almost every club he has worked for during his managerial career.

Those clubs include Benfica, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Roma and Fenerbahce. Tottenham, however, was the exception.

Mourinho managed Tottenham from November 2019 until April 2021, before moving to the Italian league to take charge of Roma. His time at the London club coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, when matches were played for long periods without supporters in stadiums.

He said the absence of fans prevented the kind of direct contact that had helped him form close bonds at his other clubs.

“That period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. There was zero human contact,” Mourinho said.

“The stadium was almost empty most of the time. We played two or three matches with supporters present, then we played without fans and without any interaction. I did not feel that connection with Tottenham.”

Mourinho also discussed speculation linking him with the Real Madrid job while he was in charge of Benfica.

He said the story developed in the opposite way to the usual pattern in managerial negotiations. Rather than private contact leading to rumours, he claimed the rumours appeared before anybody had spoken to him.

“Normally, things start with contacts, then the noise and rumours emerge from those contacts. But in this case, it was exactly the opposite: the noise and rumours started before any contacts had taken place,” he said.

Mourinho added that he was surprised by the reports and initially dismissed the possibility that the move could be genuine.

“I was surprised by it. Nobody had spoken to me, and I said to myself: ‘This is not true.’ I never believed that it could really happen,” he said.