Rafael van der Vaart has tipped Jose Mourinho to “stir things up” at Tottenham after Daniel Levy moved quickly to replace Mauricio Pochettino this week.
Mourinho’s appointment as Spurs head coach was announced just 11 hours after Pochettino’s shock dismissal on Tuesday evening.
The squad are likely still coming to terms with the decision to axe the Argentine after more than five years at the club, but Van der Vaart has called on the players to puff their chests out and play with pride under Mourinho.
The 36-year-old, who played for Tottenham between 2010 and 2012, worked under Mourinho briefly at Real Madrid before making an August switch to Spurs shortly after the Portuguese boss had joined.
"Football is so crazy at times," Van der Vaart said.
"We all know that, fans, players, staff. I was as shocked as everyone. Poch has done a tremendous job at Spurs, and it won't be easy to top his team performance and passion for our club.
“In football nothing is certain, but one thing is: Mourinho will stir things up, so let's see what happens."
He added: “He is a phenomenal coach, straightforward and ambitious and so are our boys. So #COYS heads up, chest out. We’re not only the best of northern London, we are the best. So show it.”
