Japhet Tanganga has praised Jose Mourinho for the faith that he has shown in him and insisted that he was proof that the Portuguese coach does give opportunities to youngsters.
Mourinho does not take too kindly to criticism that he prefers big money signings over promoting young players, often not hesitating to point out that he was the one who handed Raphael Varane his debut.
The 57-year-old hinted in his first press conference as Spurs boss back in November that part of his objectives at the club included helping to bring youngsters from the academy through into the first-team.
On the evidence of Mourinho’s time at the club so far, it is a promise that he has lived up to.
Few expected the special one to hand Tanganga his debut against a rampant Liverpool side back in January but the Spurs boss showed tremendous faith in the youngster, which he repaid with a fine performance.
Tangana has since gone on to deliver several accomplished performances across the backline and admitted that it was a great feeling to have his manager trust him to start against the Reds.
When asked about his relationship with Mourinho, the defender told talkSPORT: “He’s been very fair to me. It’s been said that he doesn’t give youngsters a chance, this and that, but Skippy [Oliver Skipp] and I are proof that he does.
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“When he came in he didn’t say anything special to me personally, but he just made it known to everyone that if you worked hard in training you’d be rewarded and that’s exactly how it’s been for me.
“For him to show faith in me to face Liverpool, who had been dominating the league at the time, was definitely a big thing.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The accusation of Mourinho preferring big money signings over young players is a bit unfair considering the clubs he has worked for. Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan were all in a period where they were ready to invest big to win the biggest trophies when Jose went there. I would argue that Tottenham is a different challenge compared to the ones he has had since leaving Porto. He is not going to have a financial advantage over his rivals and will have to be reliant on the club’s academy set up to produce some top talents. Going by what he has said so far, it sounds like Jose is very much relishing the challenge.
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