Jose Fonte shared his experiences of working under West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur’s current managers.
West Ham United’s Andy Carroll lies on the floor as Jose Fonte looks on
Hammers new-boy Jose Fonte has had the privilege of working under some of the best managers in the game, and he discussed how current boss Slaven Bilic differs from Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, during an exclusive interview with the club’s official website.
The Portuguese moved to the London Stadium during the transfer window, and has only spent six weeks under the tutelage of Bilic, but spent considerably longer under Pochettino’s wing during his time at St Mary’s.
The fact that Fonte’s last three managers have been centre-backs themselves must have helped his development as a player.
And the 33-year-old explained how the two coaches have very different approaches to training, when speaking to WHUFC.com for an exclusive interview:
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
“Pochettino, for example, we worked a lot on improving the physical aspect on the training ground, on interceptions, on playing out from the back, making the right angles, sliding across to be in the right positions all the time, and the distances between the players in the back four. You can see on the touchline that Slaven is very different than most managers. He is honest, direct and a football person himself. He was a centre-back himself, he has character and an aura.”
The Argentine has led Tottenham to second in the Premier League table and an FA Cup semi-final this term, and is widely considered to be one of the best young managers in the game.
Bilic, meanwhile, has not had as much success at the Spurs supremo, but showcased his superb tactical nouse and player management skills when he guided the Hammers to a seventh placed finish last season.
But the Hammers boss has his work cut-out this time around, with his side currently languishing in mid-table obscurity.
And whether or not he manages to guide West Ham back into the top eight will surely have a huge bearing on how he is judged within the game.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
