Rightly or wrongly, two distinct characteristics have become synonymous with a career once crystallised by Jose Mourinho’s infamous self-coronation as “The Special One” all those years ago.


Sports Livestream ⚽ JOIN NOW for FREE
Instant access to the BT Sport, Sky Sports and Eurosport


The first is a reluctance to trust young players, to the extent that the likes of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne are now serial trophy winners for Chelsea’s rivals, and the second is the prioritisation of a resolute defence over the free-flowing football you might see at Liverpool or Manchester City, or for that matter Tottenham prior to Mourinho’s arrival in November.

Indeed, as is the case with all seemingly revolutionary figures who last long enough to avert the romantic adage of the good dying young, Mourinho has slowly transitioned from being the standard bearer of football’s new order to becoming a blockade for progress and change.

While Pep Guardiola is busy completely transforming the parameters of stylistic expectation at England’s top clubs, Mourinho’s still deploying a double pivot, keeping his full-backs tucked in and chipping it up to the big man leading his line. At least he would be if Harry Kane wasn’t stuck on the sidelines.

And thus, news that Mourinho wants to bring Diego Godin to Tottenham is as unusual as it is unsurprising. You won’t see many top Premier League clubs actively look to recruit a 34-year-old who can’t even guarantee himself a starting berth in Inter Milan’s starting XI.

Of course, Godin has enjoyed a fantastic career and remains a top class defender in his own right. He was Atletico’s on-pitch orchestrator for nine years as they continually defied expectations by setting up in the most compact 4-4-2 known to man to lift a Copa del Rey, a La Liga title and Europa League titles. Speed never came into the equation because Atletico always sat so deep, and if a team were to play to his strengths he would no doubt still be an asset at the back.

But that’s precisely the problem. In the tactical context of the current Premier League, where just four clubs have averaged less than a goal per game this season, who wants to be playing to Godin’s strengths? Who wants to sit deep, encourage crosses into their own box, protect ageing centre-halves and hit teams on the counter? Maybe Burnley, maybe Palace, but that’s about it.

Except Mourinho apparently, and Godin is exactly his wheelhouse; an ageing addition akin to bringing back Didier Drogba during his second Chelsea spell or Nemanja Matic to Old Trafford, and someone entirely focused on keeping the ball out of the net rather than putting it in at the other end.