Jose Mourinho on taking charge of Tottenham in the Champions League and why he won't be signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic


Steve Luckings
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Jose Mourinho said he cannot wait to take charge of Tottenham for the first time at their own stadium and insisted he is not pursuing Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a potential signing.

The Portuguese was in jovial mood as he joined his players during at their London training ground ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League match against Olympiakos at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It will be the Portuguese's first home match after overseeing a 3-2 Premier League win away to West Ham United on Saturday in his first match in charge since replacing Mauricio Pochettino last week.

"I've been in the new stadium to watch the Newcastle game [Spurs lost 1-0] and I felt it, the relationship between the fans and the players," Mourinho told a news conference.

Spurs sit second in Group B with seven points from their four fixtures five points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who face Red Star Belgrade.

Victory over the Greek club, whom held Spurs to a 2-2 draw on Matchday 1, would see Spurs qualify for the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition for a third straight season.

It is a competition Mourinho knows well, having guided both Porto (2004) and Inter Milan (2010) to European Cup triumphs.

He said: "I love the competition as much as everyone in football.

"Not everyone has the privilege of being a Champions League winner. I have done it two times and would love to add a third."

Since taking the Tottenham hot-seat reports have swirled that Mourinho is set for a reunion with talismanic striker Ibrahimovic.

The 38-year-old Swede spent one-and-a-half seasons with Manchester United under Mourinho, where he scored 29 goals and helped the club win the League Cup and Europa League, before joining Los Angeles Galaxy.

Ibrahimovic, who also played under Mourinho at Inter Milan, is a free agent after leaving the MLS side this month.

Mourinho ruled out bringing the free agent to the club, claiming a move "doesn't make sense" when he already has a top striker in Kane.

"It doesn't make any sense for a striker of Zlatan's dimension to come to a club where we have Harry Kane," Mourinho said.

"I have more than a connection, amazing player, amazing guy, but I would say no chance," said Mourinho when asked about a potential move for Ibrahimovic.

"We have the best striker in England. It doesn't make sense to sign him when we have Harry Kane."

Spurs reached the Champions League final under Pochettino last season but Mourinho is not looking that far ahead.

"With these boys I will never be afraid of any Champions League match," Mourinho said. "We need to qualify. It's only when my teams arrive in the quarter-finals that I start thinking that we have a chance. In this moment we are far from it.

"Every Champions League campaign there are details around your success or failure. How many times I lost on penalties or in the last minute. Details make the difference."

US PGA Championship in numbers

Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.

To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.

Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.

4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.

In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.

For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.

Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.

Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.

Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.

10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.

11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.

12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.

13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.

14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.

15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.

16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.

17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.

18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).

Destroyer

Director: Karyn Kusama

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan

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