The ex-Spurs manager has backed the new arrival to be a success in north London while also defending the decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino
Harry Redknapp believes that Tottenham will achieve a top-four finish with Jose Mourinho in charge, and claims anything less would be a “disaster” for the club given the money spent on their new training ground and stadium.
New Spurs manager Mourinho was appointed less than a day after the news that Mauricio Pochettino had been sacked following a five-year stint in charge in north London.
Mourinho must now reduce the 11-point gap to fourth place as Spurs seek to add to their lucrative Champions League campaigns in the last four seasons.
No team with so few points after 12 games in the Premier League (14) has gone onto record a top-four finish.
Nonetheless, former Spurs boss Redknapp believes that Mourinho can overcome that hurdle and keep a talented squad in Europe’s elite competition.
“I think Mourinho will be successful at Tottenham, Mourinho is a big name,” Redknapp told Goal at Sportsmail’s A Pint with Piers Morgan with Harry Redknapp, Peter Crouch and Martin Keown . “I think his team is good and he has so many good players. That forward line is frightening. I think they will make the top four still.
“He wasn’t successful at Man United. He was really successful at Chelsea. He had great players at Chelsea. Great characters and leaders. [John] Terry, [Frank] Lampard, [Michael] Essien, [Didier] Drogba and [Michael] Ballack. They are good players.
“The thing in his favour now, after having not good enough players at Man United as they didn’t recruit well, is he is walking into a good set of players. He has a good centre-forward, great forwards beyond. [Harry] Kane, Son [Heung-min] and [Dele] Alli.
“He has got a team that is capable of doing something. He has a good team and a real chance.”
Pochettino still commands massive respect at his former club after helping them to grow their ambitions despite having not won a trophy in his five-year spell.
Redknapp admits it was a huge surprise to see Pochettino relieved of his duties by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy but, having been sacked himself by the club, he knows how ruthlessly the top decision-maker can operate.
“I was surprised when I heard the news,” he said. “I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t see them doing it. In the cold light of day, you look at it and you see that Tottenham have spent a fortune on the stadium and the training ground.
“People say that they have not spent a fortune on the team but I think they have a fantastic squad and that’s my honest opinion.
“Averaging just over a point or under a point a game for 24 or 25 games is relegation form. That’s how it has been.
“The owner Joe Lewis and director Daniel Levy will be looking at it and saying we have invested all this money in the stadium and so on so we need Champions League football here. Anything less than Champions League football is going to be a disaster for Tottenham this year.
“They can see that they are not going anywhere, not winning games and we don’t look like we will climb the table. Maybe there’s further underlying factors that we haven’t heard. One or two things were going on elsewhere, who knows.
“They are not going to wait any longer and they have decided on a massive change. Obviously, Mourinho was in place way, way before Pochettino got the sack. Of course he was! He didn’t just appear at 12 midnight. That’s what happens and that’s football.
“They did well to keep it under the radar but Daniel has that and that’s how he works. They would have someone in mind as a done deal before they sack Pochettino.”
Mourinho’s decision to take the Spurs job risks further tarnishing his legacy at Stamford Bridge, where he ranks as the club’s most successful-ever manager having won three league titles and a host of cup competitions.
Redknapp believes Mourinho will not care about his image in west London and that it is normal for managers to abandon club loyalties in favour of big money and opportunities.
“Managers don’t care,” he added. “Someone told me Pochettino won’t go to Arsenal? If Arsenal comes on the phone next week and offer him a big contract, then he will probably be there like a shot! That’s football. I went from Portsmouth to Southampton. You can’t do worse than that, believe you me.”
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