Spurs likely to pay AVB less than 3m

Tottenhams bill for removing Andre Villas-Boas will be less than 3m if, as expected, the highly rated coach ta es another !ob before next season" #nder the terms of his severance pac age he will contin$e to receive a net salary of %"&m $ntil the s$mmer of %'(& ) b$t Tottenhams liability ends once he accepts a new role" Villas-Boas, 3*, intends to ta e off the rest of the season" +e will spend ,hristmas with his family in -orto before ret$rning to .ondon" /hile he has already received an indirect approach from A, 0ilan, his most li ely destination is 1rance" Villas-Boas has a strong relationship with the -aris 2aint-3ermain president, 4asser Al 5helaifi, who was prepared to meet a ('m release cla$se to recr$it him last s$mmer"

Jose buries the hatchet with axed Villas-Boas

6onathan 4orthcroft -$blished7 %% 8ecember %'(3 T+9 season of goodwill to$ches special ones, too" 6ose 0o$rinho has moved in recent days to end a bitterly internecine fe$d with Andre Villas-Boas" 0o$rinho revealed that he and Villas-Boas have been in to$ch since his compatriot was sac ed by Tottenham" 0o$rinho is tho$ght to have called Villas-Boas to commiserate on

his treatment by 8aniel .evy, the 2p$rs chairman, who instigated the dismissal on 0onday after a &-' defeat by .iverpool at /hite +art .ane" The two -ort$g$ese managers had fallen o$t badly" Villas-Boas, formerly part of 0o$rinhos coaching staff, admitted before ,helsea and Tottenham met in 2eptember that :o$r relationship bro e down" ;ts not li e it was before<" +owever, having spo en briefly at that match and also at a #efa coaches for$m in the same month, the pairs relationship thawed and now 0o$rinho, inspired by the ,hristmas spirit, perhaps, has moved to repair it properly" 2pea ing at his wee ly press briefing on 1riday, 0o$rinho wanted to give Villas-Boas his p$blic s$pport" :;n football, northing s$rprises me" ;n football, anything can happen,< he said of the decision to dismiss Villas-Boas who had the best win percentage of any modern 2p$rs manager" 8id 0o$rinho have sympathy for his co$ntryman= :>f co$rse"< +e added, :; thin when they gave him, ; dont now, a three or fo$r or five years contract, they did it beca$se they tr$sted him and beca$se they tho$ght hes the right man to be their manager" They had a co$ple of bad res$lts and that gives reason to change that tr$st and change their manager= :9very case is a different case" ; dont now what was going on" ; spo e with Andre in the last six months three times" >nce in that ?#efa@ managers meeting" Another one when we played against them" And another one a co$ple of days ago" :; didnt spea abo$t the case" ; spea !$st abo$t, A,ome on, the world didnt finish, lets go, tomorrow is another day and another !ob will come, so, +appy ,hristmas"< 0o$rinho has had his own $ps and downs this season and on T$esday went o$t of the ,apital >ne ,$p after losing away to 2$nderland" ,helsea have lost as many games already in %'(3-(B CsixD as d$ring the entirety of 0o$rinhos tri$mphant deb$t season with the cl$b in %''B-'&" /ith the start of his second reign proving more problematic, 0o$rinho was as ed whether he felt at all $nder threat himself" :;n football, nobody is $nto$chable,< he said" :B$t ; will not be loo ing over my sho$lder" Beca$se ; now for which reason ; come" ; now which ind of !ob ; was as ed to do" ; dont thin ,helsea can have a better manager than ; am" ; thin ;m the right person to do the !ob" A bad res$lt on 0onday, or 1riday, or /ednesday, doesnt change that perspective"<