‘Mourinho signs who he wants and then moves on’ – Johnson says Spurs youngsters should be ‘nervous’

Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Tottenham should have the club’s youngsters feeling “nervous”, says Glen Johnson, with the Portuguese’s track record suggesting that he “signs who he wants, has an instant impact and moves on”.

The Portuguese, who has faced accusations of ignoring youth development throughout his coaching career, has vowed to promote from within at Spurs.

That policy has served a number of other Premier League clubs well down the years, with Mourinho’s former employers at Chelsea currently benefitting from the faith shown in academy graduates.

Johnson, though, is not convinced that a proven winner will adopt the same philosophy in north London.

The former defender was on the books at Stamford Bridge when Mourinho first arrived in English football back in 2004 and has seen nothing since then to suggest that stars of tomorrow will get an opportunity to prove their worth under a manager who never hangs around in one job for long.

“When Jose first came to Chelsea, I remember a squad meeting and meeting him for the first time. Back then, nobody knew a great deal about him,” Johnson told the Daily Mail.

“It was a whirlwind but I’ve never really heard a manager speak to a group of players like that before – it was just his confidence and the way he wanted to take the club forward.

“I think he felt he needed to let people know how good he was. Now he’s proved himself.

“He’s very passionate, a born winner, and he gives players the energy boost they need.

“Usually when a new manager comes in players do respond quickly. The fact is, Mourinho will get a reaction even quicker and for longer. So I expect an immediate turnaround at Spurs.”

Johnson added: “He turned up and wanted to win stuff in the first few years and then disappear.

“Mourinho has never been at a club long enough to bring through the youth. He normally walks through the door, signs who he wants, has an instant impact and moves on, which is obviously fantastic for him and he’s done very well doing that.

“Hopefully he stays around at Tottenham long enough so he can use the youth and help grow the club, as well as the business.

“If I was a young Spurs player, and Mourinho is only going to be there for two years, I would be nervous. If he’s going to be there for six years, I would be excited.

“In the last 15 years, he’s only been at two clubs for longer than two-and-a-half years. But records are there to be broken I guess.”

Spurs do have home-grown talent on their books, such as Harry Kane and Harry Winks, but it remains to be seen whether a path to the first-team will be cleared by Mourinho for others to make the step up.