Tottenham Hotspur have sacked head coach Jose Mourinho - six days before the League Cup final with Manchester City.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea boss had been in charge for 17 months in what had become a gradually fractured reign in north London.
The self-proclaimed ''Special One'' Mourinho leaves with Spurs seventh in the Premier League, and remarkably just under a week ahead of the Carabao league cup final against Pep Guardiola's Citizens at Wembley.
His dismissal is not linked to the hugely controversial European Super League Plans announced by 12 European powerhouse clubs including Tottenham.
Form had nosedived recently, with only one league win in their last five games. The run has included defeats against arch-rivals Arsenal and Manchester United.
Spurs also crashed out of the Europa League round of 16 last month, following a disastrousn 3-0 loss in the second leg at Dinamo Zagreb.
Mourinho's legacy is soured by the constant friction between the players and fans, that will need to be fixed by the new manager. He was also dismissed as boss of Manchester United and in his second spell with Chelsea.
Former Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason will take training in the interim.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy 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.''
The Club can today announce that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have been relieved of their duties.#THFC ⚪️ #COYS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 19, 2021
José Mourinho sacking is not linked to Super League... and he’s never refused to take training today. He’s been fired because of results and no nothing else. ⚪️🚫 #THFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 19, 2021
