Levy told he made grave error ignoring Mourinho as Tottenham count cost of missing classy Serie A star
Jose Mourinho is a free agent after being sacked by Roma
Tottenham have been told that they should have listened to Jose Mourinho when their former manager was making a push to sign a centre-back now dominating Serie A.
Mourinho was axed by Spurs in April 2021 after a largely unsuccessful stint in north London, during which time he took them to a League Cup final only to be shown the door six days before it.
Since then, the Portuguese has rebuilt his reputation at Roma, although one journalist claims that Tottenham should have taken note when Mourinho wanted to bring South Korean defender Kim Min-jae to the club.
The north London club were in the mix to sign Kim while he was still at Turkish side Fenerbahce. However, he ended up moving to Napoli in what has proved to be a bargain £15,5million.
However, things could have worked out very differently for the player, had Mourinho got his way while he was still in charge.
It appears though that Daniel Levy was unsure about the player, who ended up at Napoli to replace Kalidou Koulibaly.
Kim has since established himself as one of the best defenders in Europe in a Napoli side that is storming towards Serie A title glory.
And now the centre-back is once again being tipped up for a Premier League move. However, this time his price tag will be his €50m (£44m) release clause for any clubs wanting a deal.
Mourinho wanted Kim at Tottenham
But journalist Ugo Trani has revealed Mourinho’s part in trying to bring the player to north London.
“Putting Roma in the hands of Mourinho would be a turning point,” Forza Roma report him saying.
“Kvaratskhelia, someone followed him, even Kim, that Mourinho had reported when he was at Tottenham. Something is also missing in terms of scouting in Rome.
“My concern for Dybala is that if Juventus take another sting in the salary case, he too will be disqualified. The trial will take place at the end of March.”
For Tottenham, it appears to be the case of the one that got away. Indeed, they have now, seemingly, moved on to other targets as Conte looks to strengthen his rearguard.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie remains one of their top targets after an impressive campaign in Germany. However, Newcastle are also keen on the Ecuador international.
Spurs are back in action on Sunday when they host rivals Chelsea in the Premier League.
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