JOSE MOURINHO has ended his 11-month hiatus in management to take over the reins at Tottenham.
He replaces Mauricio Pochettino at the helm at Spurs, who currently sit 14th in the Premier League ahead of the weekend’s fixture against West Ham.
Joao Sacramento will become Jose Mourinho’s new assistant at TottenhamCredit: Getty – Contributor
Yet, with just days to go until his first match against Tottenham boss, Mourinho will have to get his backroom staff in order.
The Portuguese coach often picks a familiar team to help him with his duties, but has previously remarked that a change of guard is a possibility.
Who is Jose Mourinho’s new assistant coach?
No, it is not Rui Faria. It is Joao Sacramento.
The Telegraph have revealed that the Lille assistant will join up with Mourinho at Tottenham, following his appointment.
Sacramento hails from Barcelos, just north of Porto, where Faria was also born.
But rather than remaining in his home nation to learn the trade, he headed for south Wales, attending University of Glamorgan.
Sacramento completed degree in sports coaching and a Masters in performance coaching, where he also took on the assistant’s role for uni team.
While in Wales, the Portguese coach became a performance analyst intern at the nation’s FA, working under Gary Speed and Chris Coleman, before getting his big break a year later at Monaco in April 2014.
His work there saw him help build the foundations to their 2017 title success, having moved to Lille to become assistant coach under Christophe Galtier in the January before.
Is Rui Faria joining Mourinho’s backroom staff?
Mourinho and Faria have been almost inseparable in coaching since Jose’s early coaching days at Barcelona.
Back then, the three-time Premier League winner was serving under Louis van Gaal when his fellow countryman visited Camp Nou for a seminar.
The pair clicked immediately, with Mourinho choosing Faria to be his assistant and fitness coach in his first managerial role at Uniao Leiria.
Since then, the 44-year-old has been number two at Porto, Chelsea (twice), Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
But since Mourinho’s sacking from the Red Devils, Faria has made his first foray into senior management with Al-Duhail in Qatar.
And they are currently going strong, sitting top of the QNB Stars League table and unbeaten after ten games.
With the acquisition of Joao Sacramento, the possibility of a Mourinho-Faria reunion is minuscule at the moment.
Rui Faria will not be Jose Mourinho’s assistant at Tottenham with the Portuguese coach currently managing in QatarCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Who else could be in line for a backroom position?
Another regular feature in Mourinho’s staff has been goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro.
He has also followed his fellow countryman around Europe, helping to improve the likes of Petr Cech, Iker Casillas, Julio Cesar and David de Gea.
But Mourinho has stated recently that he will be finding new members to his staff, with Louro among those missing out.
He will instead be replaced by Nuno Santos, also joining from Lille.
Venezuelan Carlos Lalin has also been a repetitive figure among Mourinho’s backroom staff, but looks set to stay, with the Telegraph reporting that he will be the fitness trainer.
Giovanni Cerra and Ricardo Formosinho are also expected to reprise their roles as an analyst and scout respectively.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
