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Journalism of Courage
Dutchman Martin Jol is expected to be installed as Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager on Monday after Jacques Santini’s surprise resignation. The former France coach quit on Friday citing personal reasons and it was left to assistant manager Jol to pick the team for Saturday’s 3-2 home Premier League defeat to Charlton Athletic.
Tottenham have said they will make a statement on Monday with media reports saying former West Bromwich Albion player and RKC Waalwijk coach Jol will be appointed on a permanent basis.
‘‘On Monday we will come with our ideas,’’ sporting director Frank Arnesen told BBC Radio on Sunday. ‘‘Martin Jol is very capable. I know his performance over 15 years as head coach of different clubs. I am very happy we have him in this situation.’’
The choice of Jol as coach makes sense if Tottenham are to keep their present managerial structure which sees Arnesen run the club of the field and a coach run the team on it. Dane Arnesen arrived at Tottenham in July from the same role at PSV Eindhoven and brought in assistant Jol after scouring Europe for a manager and eventually recruiting Santini.
British media have reported that part of the reason for Santini’s departure after only 13 games was that he could not tolerate having little control over Tottenham’s signings and being reduced to the role of training ground coach.
Chairman Daniel Levy favours the system but with a high-profile manager such as Santini it was doomed.
Real Madrid’s structure of having a sporting director and a coach has normally seen less well-known names such as Vicente del Bosque and Mariano Garcia Remon on the touchline so that big egos are not pulling the club in different directions.
However, that was exactly the problem at Tottenham and the situation reportedly came to a head when Arnesen signed Michael Carrick from West Ham against Santini’s wishes and the midfielder barely featured in the Frenchman’s team.
Arnesen denied there were tensions between himself and Santini. ‘‘He was used to working in this environment, we knew exactly the responsibility of each other,’’ he said.
