Andre Villas-Boas makes worrying claim about Mourinho and Levy at Tottenham Hotspur

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Premier League strugglers Spurs have hired Jose Mourinho to replace Mauricio Pochettino – but will he get on with chairman Daniel Levy?

Andre Villas-Boas is thrilled to see his old friend Jose Mourinho back in work at Tottenham, speaking to L’Equipe – though he is far from certain about whether an uber-demanding coach will be able to form a working relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

In truth, there are few people better to judge one of the most eye-catching managerial moves in recent years than Villas-Boas.

After all, the 42-year-old knows the enigma that is Spurs’ new head coach better than almost anyone in the game, having assisted Mourinho during his trophy-laden spells at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Villas-Boas then followed in his mentor’s footsteps by becoming a manager in his own right, spending a year-and-a-half under Levy at Spurs between July 2012 and December 2013.

His time in North London might have proved to be a little underwhelming, Villas-Boas finished fifth in his debut season and things unravelled quickly once Gareth Bale defected to Madrid, but he has no doubts that Mourinho can succeed where he failed – if he strikes a balance with the chairman that is.

“I’m very happy for Jose. A coach with his career cannot spend 11 months without a club. There are coaches who can take sabbaticals, like I did, but José is not (one of them),” said the Portuguese, who is now rebuilding his reputation in France with Marseille.

“He is obsessed with football. He comes back to a club I know well, with a president, Daniel Levy, whom I know well.

“It’s an unusual marriage because I know both parties well. These are two characters who have reached an agreement even if I’m not sure it will work very well between the two. But if a coach can win Tottenham, it’s Jose.”

One line there, however, should fill Tottenham fans with fear. He is ‘not sure it will work very well’ between Mourinho and Levy. They are two absolute powerhouse personalities after all, with an iron will and an iron fist.

Mourinho loves nothing more than to spend, whereas Levy tends to keep the chequebook closed. Even if it goes well for Spurs on the pitch, events off it could be a very different story.