Premier League - Jol hints at return to England

Eurosport - Wed, 08 Apr 18:27:00 2009

Former Tottenham manager Martin Jol has indicated he would like to work in England again.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Bundesliga Hamburg Jol - 0

The Dutchman has propelled new club Hamburg to joint top of the Bundesliga and into the last eight of the UEFA Cup.

They face Manchester City in the quarter-final first leg at the Nordbank Arena on Thursday in front of an expectant 52,000 crowd.

These are good days for Jol, who lost his job at Spurs in October 2007 and was replaced by Juande Ramos.

But he has maintained his passion for the Premier League while in Germany.

He said: "I want to build a good side at Hamburg and stay here for another one or two seasons.

"I still have my house in England. So if there was a very good opportunity, maybe a club with ambitions of Europe, I would certainly think about it."

Jol remains proud of the job he did at White Hart Lane and believes Harry Redknapp, who replaced Ramos, can make a difference.

Tottenham now lie 11th in the table and are nine points above the relegation zone with seven games remaining.

Jol said: "It was almost a miracle we finished in the top five two years in a row. We did a good job.

"(Chairman) Daniel Levy wants Champions League football, that is clear.

"Harry knows he has a very good side but I had a very good squad as well.

"If he gets time, Spurs have got the resources and they can build a great team. But getting in the top four is very difficult."

Hamburg will again be without a number of key players as Bastian Reinhardt, Thimothee Atouba, Romeo Castelen, Maxim Choupo-Moting, Guy Demel and Alex Silva are sidelined through injury.

However, Paolo Guerrero (ankle) and Collin Benjamin (thigh) returned to training after ankle and thigh problems respectively and could be involved against City.

Asked where his priorities lie, Jol said: "I cannot pick teams for games like Aston Villa and Spurs did because we have only 14 to 15 players to call on.

"We have a bit of an advantage because we are at home. City may have the quality but we have the spirit."

Sporting Life / Eurosport

Comment 1 - 7 of 7

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  1. If Newcastle stay up he mite head there and would do a­ good job as he did at spurs

    From Shaun, on Fri 10 Apr 5:57PM

  2. Jol did a brilliant job at Spurs and if he had been­ given the time to finish the job, Spurs I am sure,­ would now be pushing the top four. What he did in two­ seasons was short of a miracle. Spurs are now back­ where they started. I would love to see him back, the­ sooner the better but can't see it ever happening­ cos of the way he was treated. A real shame.

    From Glenn S, on Fri 10 Apr 3:14PM

  3. Why do ppl assume he would'nt go back to spurs. I­ think he would go back just to prove that Levi made a­ major @#$%-up by sacking him.
    The Spurs faithful would­ welcome him back with open arms, even if it meant­ getting rid of Redknapp.

    Spurs fans should put the­ pressure on Levi to bring him back.

    From OMG WTF, on Fri 10 Apr 4:26AM

  4. He wouldn't return to spurs thats for sure..... he­ was treated badly!!! which is a shame because i belive­ he is a top manager.

    From ctbee3, on Thu 9 Apr 12:42PM

  5. Sbragia out, Jol in

    From rhyshall21, on Wed 8 Apr 9:48PM

  6. Martin Jol is a gentleman and it would be an honour if­ he ever came back to Spurs (though the way he was­ treated, I think it's unlikely). Two top five­ finishes speak for themselves. I hope he comes back to­ the premiership even if not for Spurs, because we need­ more dignified and intelligent managers like Martin.

    From marklee_freelance, on Wed 8 Apr 8:55PM

  7. If sunderland survive this season, he will be their­ manager next season.

    From cameron w, on Wed 8 Apr 8:30PM
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