George Graham – Oct 1998 to March 2001
Despite being in charge for three years and leading Spurs to their first trophy in eight years, the 1999 League Cup, Graham departed within a month of Levy taking over as chairman.
Glenn Hoddle – April 2001 to Sept 2003
The former Spurs midfielder had more than 100 games in charge but could do no better than a ninth-placed finish in his first full season. Had a poor start to the 03-04 season and, with no wins in four games, a 3-1 defeat to Southampton proved too much for Levy’s patience.
David Pleat – Sept 2003 to June 2004
Briefly caretaker between Graham and Hoddle (to add to a spell in 1998 and his own tenure in the 1980s), he returned to steady the ship on an interim basis until the end of the season. With a fairly even record, winning 16, losing 16 and drawing seven, a 14th-place finish meant he was never likely to regain the job permanently.
Jacques Santini – June to Nov 2004
Santini’s reign at White Hart Lane was, at the time, the shortest in the club’s history. The Frenchman lasted 13 games and left citing personal problems, despite sitting pretty in fourth position after an unbeaten start to the campaign. It was widely reported that issues with the club’s sporting director, Frank Arnesen, led to his early departure.
Martin Jol – Nov 2004 to Oct 2007
The Dutchman managed just shy of 150 games, winning 45% of them. Secured European football in consecutive seasons but just missed out on Champions League qualification. Jol lost his grip on the job after a disappointing start to the 2007-08 season, winning only one out of 10 – and found out his time was up via a text from his nephew during a Uefa Cup defeat to Getafe.
Juande Ramos – Oct 2007 to Oct 2008
After clawing Spurs out of their previous slump, the highly-rated former Sevilla manager won the Carling Cup final against Chelsea and secured 11th place. But a poor start the following season followed and eight games without a win – the last a 2-1 defeat at Stoke – left Levy with little option but to act.
Harry Redknapp – Oct 2008 to June 2012
Famously taking over with two points on the board after eight games, Redknapp led Tottenham to eighth in the table with 51 points. A year later Spurs, reached fourth spot and qualified for the Champions League. But despite reaching the 2010-11 quarter-finals they failed to book a return. In early 2012, a title challenge lookes possible and he was linked with the England job, but that went to Roy Hodgson while Spurs slipped to fourth. Chelsea’s Champions League win then elbowed Tottenham into the Europa League and Redknapp got the push.
André Villas-Boas – July 2012 to Dec 2013
After failing at Chelsea, Villas-Boas was given a second chance in London by Spurs. Despite having the best win percentage, 55%, for Tottenham in the Premier League era up to that point, and winning all six of his Europa League games, heavy defeats in big matches in his second season, including a 6-0 defeat at Manchester City, led to his three-year deal being cut short by “mutual consent”.
Tim Sherwood – Dec 2013 to May 2014
Sherwood, having stepped up from the youth academy following AVB’s demise, won an impressive 50% of games in his short time as manager. Humiliating defeats by Liverpool, City, Chelsea and West Ham meant Sherwood’s tenure was always likely to be short, but it was certainly memorable – particularly as he gave young forward Harry Kane his first Premier League start.
Mauricio Pochettino – May 2014 to Nov 2019
Levy opted to appoint the Southampton manager over Frank de Boer, and it paid off. Beloved by the fans, Pochettino oversaw year-on-year progress, culminating in the run to the 2019 Champions League final. A trophy to gold-plate that progress proved elusive, though, with the 2015-16 campaign – finishing third in a two-horse race as Leicester won the title – was particularly painful. The Argentinian was in charge as Spurs’ new stadium finally opened in April 2019 – but was sacked six months later after a slow start to the following season.
José Mourinho – Nov 2019 to April 2021
Nearly a year on from his sacking at Manchester United, Mourinho was appointed on the day after Pochettino’s exit. The manager rolled up his sleeves to pitch in during the Covid shutdown, but his confrontational approach and dour football quickly tested the hierarchy’s patience. With top-four hopes fading, a Europa League last-16 exit at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb proved the final straw – with Mourinho sacked nine days before the Carabao Cup final. Ryan Mason took temporary charge, but Spurs lost to Manchester City at Wembley.
Nuno Espírito Santo – June to Nov 2021
A long search for Mourinho’s replacement ended in the arrival of the former Wolves manager. He began with three Premier League wins but, 124 days later, after two hours and 16 minutes without a shot on target in the league, he was gone. Overtook Santini as the club’s shortest-serving manager by 31 days as Spurs returned to their original summer target.
Antonio Conte – Nov 2021 to Mar 2023
Talks in the summer had broken down over the Italian’s transfer budget demands but by late autumn, he was at the helm on a £15m-a-year contract. Conte took the club back in to the Champions League but things unravelled in the 2022-23 campaign, culminating in a furious blast at his players and the hierarchy after a 3-3 draw with Southampton. “Tottenham’s story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something,” Conte said. “They can change the manager, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.” He left with Spurs fourth in the league, with former assistant Cristian Stellini left bemused in temporary charge as they slid down to eighth.
Ange Postecoglou – Jun 2023 to Jun 2025
Postecoglou became the first Australian to manage in the Premier League after signing a four-year deal. The former Celtic manager quickly established an entertaining attacking style and Spurs briefly threatened a title challenge in 2023-24. The following season saw the wheels come off in the league with Spurs finishing 17th. Postecoglou stuck to his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season, though – ending Spurs’ 17-year silverware drought with success in the Europa League final against Manchester United. It wasn’t enough to save his job.
Thomas Frank – Jun 2025 to …
Seen as a more pragmatic appointment after the chaotic reigns of Conte and Postecoglou, the 51-year-old Dane arrived from Brentford after Spurs triggered his £10m release clause. Frank has won two of his three Premier League games so far, but wins over Burnley and Manchester City were tempered by a home loss to Bournemouth. Most surprisingly of all, he has outlasted Daniel Levy.
This article is an updated version of a piece first published in 2014
