Villas-Boas named new Spurs manager

LONDON - The Associated Press

EPA Photo

Four months after being fired by Chelsea, Andre Villas-Boas was given the opportunity to rebuild his reputation in the Premier League when he was hired as head coach of fellow London club Tottenham yesterday.

The Portuguese manager’s appointment was first announced on Tottenham’s official Twitter site. He joined on a three-year contract and will succeed Harry Redknapp, who was fired on June 14 after nearly four seasons in charge at White Hart Lane.

Having established himself as one of Europe’s most sought-after coaches following a stunning stint at Porto, the 34-year-old Villas-Boas’ short managerial career nosedived during a troubled eight-month reign at Chelsea during which he was criticized for his reportedly detached style of man-management.
However, he has convinced Spurs chairman Daniel Levy that he is the man to take the north London club to the next level and will look to build on the work of Redknapp, who managed to threaten the dominance of England’s four major powers - the two Manchester clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea.

“Tottenham Hotspur is a great club with a strong tradition and fantastic support, both at home and throughout the world,” Villas-Boas said. “I feel privileged to be its coach. For me, this is one of the most exciting coaching positions in the Premier League.

“This is a squad any coach would love to work with and together I believe we can bring success in the seasons ahead.”

The man known in England as “AVB” will take over a team that finished fourth in the Premier League last season but failed to qualify for the Champions League, ironically because of the amazing exploits of Villas-Boas’ successor at Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo.

Villas-Boas’ departure and Di Matteo taking over sparked an upturn in fortunes at Stamford Bridge culminating in a surprise victory on penalties in the Champions League final over Bayern Munich, meaning Chelsea - which finish sixth in the league - took Spurs’ spot in Europe’s leading competition.
Tottenham will instead play in the Europa League, one of four trophies won by Villas-Boas with Porto in 2011.