Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dan Kilpatrick

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho: Sheffield United and Wolves are genuine top-four contenders

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says Sheffield United and Wolves are both genuine contenders for the Premier League top four.

The newly-promoted Blades are fifth, two points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea and two clear of Mourinho's Spurs, while Wolves are six points off the top four, despite a slow start while they adjusted to Europa League football.

Mourinho understands that his compatriot Nuno Espirito Santo and Blades boss Chris Wilder do not consider their clubs contenders but the Spurs boss says they are clearly in the mix as the business end of the season approaches.

"Wolves and Sheffield United are fighting for the top four, [the managers] can say no, I understand if they say no, but the reality is that they are," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "Not just because of the position that they are in the table, it is because of the power and quality.

"They arrive in this situation wherein the eyes of everybody [else], they should be more than happy - they are not more than happy."

In January Wolves bought Olympiacos winger Daniel Podence, who twice impressed against Spurs in the Champions League group stage, for £16.6million, while United broke their transfer record to sign Sander Berge from Genk for around £22m.

"Wolves bought an important player to try and improve their situation," Mourinho added. "Sheffield United bought an important player and beat their record in the market to try to improve their team. It's not just about Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton. It's not just about us.

"These two clubs I have to say... fantastic."

Chelsea host Manchester United at the weekend before Mourinho returns to his former club for a potentially pivotal top-four clash on February 22.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.