JOSE MOURINHO promised “real passion” following his appointment as Tottenham Hotspur boss Wednesday after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by the struggling Premier League club.

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager was announced as the new boss at White Hart Lane hours after the Argentine was dismissed Tuesday evening.

“I couldn’t be happier and look forward to the challenge,” Mourinho told Tottenham’s official website.

“What can I promise? Passion, real passion. Passion for my job, but also passion for my club, that’s the way I have been all my career.”

The 56-year-old, who had been out of work since leaving United last December, signed a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season after Spurs acted to halt their slide down the table.

The club reached the Champions League final last season but is languishing in the 14th spot in the Premier League after picking up just three wins from 12 games. The side is 11 points off the top four positions that allow qualification to European club soccer’s top competition.

“I want to try, obviously, everything to bring happiness to everyone who loves the club,” added the new manager, who has won domestic league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.

Mourinho was due to take training before his first press conference later Thursday. His first game in charge is at West Ham on Saturday.

His glittering CV includes Champions League titles with Porto and Inter Milan.

He also won three Premier League titles over two spells in charge of Chelsea, and returned to England to manage Manchester United in 2016, where he won the Europa League and the League Cup.

“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football,” said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. “He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician.

“He has won honors at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”

Mourinho was sacked by United last December and has been without a club since, most recently working as a TV pundit.

Despite his troubles in the latter stages of his tenure at Old Trafford he remains a big name, but is a divisive figure and there will be questions over whether his pragmatic style can mesh with Tottenham’s tradition of attacking soccer.

(SD-Agencies)