Tim Sherwood wanted the job. Tim Sherwood got the job.
Sherwood was appointed head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. He signed a contract which runs through the end of the 2014-15 season, according to the BBC.
“We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season, but felt we had to do so in the club’s best interests,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy reportedly told the club’s website.
“We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.
“We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood.
“We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward.”
Sherwood replaces replaces former manager Andre Villas-Boas, who was fired last week. Sherwood served as caretaker manager for two games, leading Tottenham to defeat against West Ham in the League Cup and a 3-2 win against Southampton on Sunday.
He then publicly lobbied for the job (on a more permanent basis) after the Southampton game. Levy and Sherwood met Monday and came to an agreement. Franco Baldini, Tottenham’s director of football, did not attend the meeting but recommended Sherwood for the job, according to the Telegraph.
Tottenham reportedly contacted Louis van Gaal and Guus Hiddink, but the highly regarded Dutch coaches removed themselves from consideration at this time. Former Tottenham player and manager Glenn Hoddle wanted a chance to return as manager, but Levy and Baldini decided to go with Sherwood.
Tottenham hopes Sherwood can improve Spurs’ performances and results in the coming months. It spent £107 million [$173.2 million] on seven new players last summer, but the expensively assembled squad failed to gel in the early part of the season. Spurs sit in seventh place in the Premier League after 17 games. However, their goal of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League is within reach, as they trail fourth-place Chelsea by just four points.
Tottenham is giving Sherwood his first managerial job (or head coach) and the chance to do succeed where Villas-Boas failed.
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