Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield United striker Brian Deane expressed his surprise over the dismissal of Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager.

The north London club announced on Monday morning that the 58-year-old had been relieved of his duties just days before their Carabao Cup final clash against Manchester City at Wembley.

It makes the timing of Mourinho's exit strange but, with seventh-placed Tottenham likely to miss out on the top four this season and no longer in the Europa League, chairman Daniel Levy clearly felt he had to do something.

Discussing Levy's decision to act, Deane told FFC in an exclusive interview:

"You've just got to wonder whether or not it's got something to do with this announcement [European Super League] that's been made and they want to go in a less pragmatic direction when it comes to Tottenham as a product.

"I think with the owners down there, they're not going to sack somebody unless they've got somebody lined up. It is a surprise to me but, you know, managing players, managing expectations is changing all the time. I think that what we're starting to see is that people want instant gratification everywhere."

Tottenham may very well have their Mourinho successor in mind, with RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann the strong favourite for the job.

According to The Telegraph, the German is currently Levy's preferred option to take over. The Premier League outfit, however, could face competition from Bayern Munich as they draw up their own managerial succession plan to replace the outgoing Hansi Flick.