Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Alan Brazil believes Jose Mourinho has found his 'sparkle' again in north London.
Spurs sent shockwaves through English football when they replaced Mauricio Pochettino with Mourinho in November 2019.
The Portuguese was left in football wilderness after an acrimonious split from Manchester United in December of the previous year.
Despite winning the Europa League and League Cup in 2018, Mourinho had lost the faith of his players and supporters by the time he exited Old Trafford.
Many believed his pragmatic tactical approach and 'old-school' motivation tactics were outdated compared to his peers such as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
But the serial winner has once again proved his doubters wrong after 12 months with Spurs.
The north London outfit are currently on top of the Premier League table after 10 matches, with a clash against local rivals Arsenal this Sunday.
And Brazil is delighted to see Mourinho back to his 'cheeky' self.
"I love Mourinho, always have done," the Scotsman told Tribalfootball.com. "But there was a spell there where he was getting angry, angry with everybody.
"And I thought I wonder if we've seen the best of Jose you know. But I interviewed him, he knew my background, about Bobby Robson, he said ask me anything, he was great.
"And I'm really pleased he's got that sparkle back now, I really am. This is the Jose, the cheeky chappy, the sparkle. He's now beginning to get the best out of Tottenham. It helps when you've got Son, Harry and Bale."
Speaking of Wales star Bale, Brazil was adamant the Real Madrid loanee just needs minutes to get back to his best.
"Bale just needs to get fit," he adds. "Bale has just not played enough, he's got rusty. He needs to play and play and play.
"But he does have injury problems so you've got to manage that."
Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp declared earlier this season that Tottenham could win the title with their current squad.
But despite his optimism around Mourinho's side, Brazil remained cautious about agreeing with Redknapp's prediction.
"Harry Redknapp said to me they can win the Premier and I thought no, not good enough Harry, not yet.
"But they're proving Harry right at the moment, they're are up there. And they are beating the big boys now. I still don't think they'll win this year but I'm delighted for Jose. Tottenham is a great club."
