Mourinho reveals he is 'very sad' after he lost his dog over Christmas

The Spurs boss admitted it had been a difficult period for his family after the death of their beloved pet. Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho was left saddened over Christmas after the death of his dog.


The Spurs boss was emotional as he announced Yorkshire Terrier Leya had passed away over the festive period.

Speaking on Amazon Prime before Tottenham played Brighton in the Premier League on Boxing Day, Mourinho spoke of his family's grief.

Having been asked about his Christmas, Mourinho replied: "To be honest, it was very sad because my dog died and my dog is my favourite.

"So, very difficult, but we have to move on."

On playing matters, however, Mourinho felt Spurs have "shown improvements in some areas, in some others not as much" since his arrival at the club.

Mauricio Pochettino's successor revealed the club have been very helpful in helping him settle in.

And when asked about possible future transfer activity, Mourinho was keen to see what his current squad could achieve.

"I like the players very much. I like them as players, I like them as the human group they are," he said.

"I'm really happy with them and want to give them all I have to give them. I want to improve them. I don't think it's fair to look at transfer windows and say I need windows.

"I don’t need transfer windows. I need time."

Mourinho added that chairman Daniel Levy will acknowledge Tottenham would need to replace any players who leave the club, amid rumours linking Christian Eriksen with a move away from north London in January.

The club have already tied centre-back Toby Alderweireld to a new three-and-a-half-year contract, but his fellow defender Jan Vertonghen's current deal expires at the end of the season. He is yet to commit his future to the club, while loan signing Giovani Lo Celso's future remains in doubt after he has seemingly failed to impress his new manager so far.

It's been a mixed return to England for the Portuguese, having helped his new side climb the table while losing out to former clubs Manchester United and Chelsea in recent weeks. No Premier League outfit have conceded more goals than Spurs in all competitions since Mourinho took charge in north London, with the club now six points off the top four after a miserable start to the campaign.