Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has admitted that the club made "mistakes" by hiring Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in a bid to end their trophy drought.
Not since the 2007-08 EFL Cup have Spurs got their hands on a major piece of silverware, losing both the 2015 League Cup final and 2019 Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino.
Only a few months after leading Tottenham to the Champions League showpiece match, Pochettino was sacked following a poor run of results, and Levy took a punt on seasoned silverware winner Mourinho.
However, the Portuguese's reign came to an end less than two years after his appointment, and Levy boldly axed him just before rhe 2021 EFL Cup final, in which a Ryan Mason-led Tottenham lost to Manchester City.
Following Nuno Espirito Santo's ill-fated reign, Conte arrived in North London having just guided Inter Milan to the Serie A title, and he enjoyed a bright start to life in North London, guiding the Lilywhites back into the Champions League.
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Knockout success still eluded Spurs, though, and Conte eventually left his post after an astonishing press conference at Southampton, where his side threw away a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 with the Saints.
The Italian was also criticised for his perceived negative approach, in stark contrast to current incumbent Ange Postecoglou, who has been credited with bringing attacking football back to North London.
Speaking at a recent fans forum, Levy admitted that his desire for a trophy-winning manager led him to make decisions that were not in Spurs' best interest, but he is willing to risk his side's trophy drought lasting a little longer if the appointment of Postecoglou leads to sustained success in the future.
"I want to win as much as everybody else, but the frustration of not winning and the pressure from maybe some players and from a large element of the fanbase, that we need to win, we need to spend money, we need to have a big manager, we need to have a big name, it affected me," Levy said.
"I had gone through a period where we'd almost won. With Mauricio we went through some very good times. We didn't quite get there but we came very close and we had a change in strategy.
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"The strategy was 'let's bring in a trophy manager'. We did it twice and look you have to learn from your mistakes. They're great managers but maybe not for this club.
"We want to play in a certain way and if that means it has to take a little bit longer to win maybe it's the right thing for us. That's why bringing Ange in was from my point of view the right decision.
"Honestly, there was a lot of pressure on me to bring in somebody that was a big name. I just wanted somebody who understood our DNA, would play attacking football, that would give young players a chance, believe in the academy, would build a relationship with the fans and understand the resources that we have and don't have as a club and be part of a team. Ange, I have to say, is a breath of fresh air."
Since taking the reins in North London, Postecoglou has overseen Spurs' best start to a season since 1965, with the Lilywhites taking 13 points from their opening five Premier League matches.
Levy also commented on the departure of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, and the Tottenham chairman confirmed that his side have a buyback clause included as part of the deal.
Ben Knapton
