Jose Mourinho has been appointed the new Tottenham Hotspur head coach, the club announced early on Wednesday morning.

The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager will take over at Spurs on a deal that runs until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that Mourinho was club's No.1 candidate after they sacked Mauricio Pochettino following a poor start to the Premier League season. Just hours later, Tottenham confirmed Mourinho as Pochettino's successor.

"In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football," Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement. "He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room."

Mourinho returns to lead the third Premier League club of his career. He won three Premier League titles (2004-05, 2005-06, 2014-15) across two stints at Chelsea. From 2016-2018, he was in charge of Manchester United, winning the 2016-17 Europa League crown.

His time at United ended in December 2018 following rising tensions at the club, which saw the team make their worst start to a league campaign after 17 games since the 1990-91 season.

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"I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters," said Mourinho of his appointment. "The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me."

Overall, Mourinho has managed 305 games in the Premier League (212 with Chelsea, 93 with Manchester United).

Mourinho won the Champions League at Porto (2003) and Inter Milan (2010) before taking on the Real Madrid job. He failed to win the Champions League trophy with Madrid despite achieving domestic glory in 2011-12.

Pochettino, who moved to Spurs from Southampton in May 2014, led Tottenham to the final of the UEFA Champions League last season, where they fell 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.

Tottenham finished in the top four of the Premier League for the past four seasons under Pochettino, who had become a much-loved figure among the fans.

Mourinho's first match in charge of Tottenham is away at West Ham on Saturday, with a return to Old Trafford to face Manchester United coming on Dec. 4. Mourinho faces another former club, Chelsea, on Dec. 22.