Jose Mourinho says he "had a feeling" he'd be arriving at his new club halfway through the current campaign, and has no reservations over being plunged straight back into Premier League action.
The Portuguese will take charge of his first game on Saturday lunchtime as Spurs head to West Ham for a London derby, and the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss says he's ready to return.
“I had a feeling I was going to get a club mid-season," he said at his press conference unveiling on Thursday.
"I knew I would be in a situation where I would get only one or two days before my first game. I cannot come here and think it is about myself. It is about the players and going from a base of stability.”
Mourinho added that he feels he is returning to the Premier League as a new and improved manager following his sacking from United in December last year.
“These last 11 months have been used to think and to prepare," he continued.
"You never lose your DNA. You are what you are - for the good things and the bad things. I know in my career that I’ve made mistakes.
“I’m not going to make the same mistakes. I’m going to make new mistakes. I’m not going to say I’m more fit. I was always fit.”
The Portuguese added that he feels his reputation as being a divisive, arrogant figure is something that is undeserved, adding that his time as a television pundit helped him analyse the game better.
“I am humble," he said.
"I am humble enough to try to analyse my career. Not just the last year but the problems and the solutions.
"The principle of my analysis was not to blame anyone else.
“I’m nobody to advise people but to have a break was very positive for me. Having the first summer where I didn’t work was not good for me. I was a bit lost. But it was good for me. I even learned how to be a pundit.”
