Joe Cole has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur made the right decision in sacking Mauricio Pochettino and replacing him with Jose Mourinho.

Pochettino parted company with Spurs in November, just five months after leading them out for their first ever Champions League final.

Mourinho was almost immediately announced as the Argentine's successor and got off to a good start with three wins from his first three games in charge.

However, Spurs have since won just eight of their 23 outings and went into the enforced break without victory in six matches across all competitions - the worst spell of Mourinho's managerial career.

"Jose has gone into a difficult situation. In the media in particular there is a lot of anti-Jose, people who are very quick to jump on Jose's back, especially for someone who has been as successful as him," Cole, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea, told Sky Sports News.

"You need to look at the job in perspective, I think it had run its course under Pochettino. I think the team wasn't playing well, it needed a change. But it's like turning a cruise ship, you can't just turn it on a sixpence, it takes time. He needs time, he needs to bring the right players in.

"I think the relationship with Daniel Levy is important, if Levy gets him the players he wants and gives him time I think it will be a success for him. It's just how every time Spurs lose a game... Spurs were losing games under Pochettino, players weren't playing well.

"I think some of the players may have run their course at Tottenham. They are all great players but sometimes your time is up. They are in a rebuild situation."

Tottenham have been eliminated from the Champions League and FA Cup, while they will resume the Premier League season sitting eighth in the table.