Ryan Mason has admitted that winning the Europa League at Bilbao felt like the perfect ending to his time at Tottenham Hotspur and has revealed whether he could have stayed on at the North London club.
In every sense, Mason is Mr Tottenham, having grown up supporting the club, coming through the academy ranks to play for the first team, joining as an academy coach after hanging up his boots before going on to coach the first-team, including two stints as the interim head coach.
His long association with the club he loves ended earlier this summer, with the 34-year-old deciding to leap into management by taking the top job at West Bromwich Albion.
Tottenham fans have wished Mason well in his new managerial venture while club chairman Daniel Levy also thanked Mason for his incredible service to Spurs.
Ryan Mason admits he could have not asked for a better ending
Having experienced a lot of heartbreak previously at Spurs, both as a player and a coach, Mason confessed that lifting the Europa League trophy in Bilbao was a cathartic moment.
He remarked that he knew as soon as Tottenham lifted the trophy that it was time for him to close that chapter of his life and move on to a new challenge, revealing that he particularly enjoyed his final two years at Hotspur Way working under Ange Postecoglou.
When asked about departing N17, the new West Brom boss told The Guardian: “For me, it just felt like the perfect ending to a great chapter of my life. Bilbao was a confirmation. I’d been there as a player when we’d lost a cup final and it hurt. I’d managed in a cup final [the Carabao Cup defeat by Chelsea in 2021] and lost and it hurt.
“To close that chapter with what we achieved was great; it felt good to end the season that way. I knew after that that my time had come to an end. The opportunity to work with Ange – I’d only signed a two-year contract and it was an incredible two years. But as soon as we achieved that, it confirmed it was the right time.”
Mason admits that it didn’t feel right to stay at Tottenham
Mason did not know whether Postecoglou’s successor would have wanted to retain his services, but he was not going to stick around to find out.
He revealed that he had spoken to the Baggies hierarchy about the project just days after the campaign ended.
Mason continued: “It didn’t feel right to continue at Spurs. The possibility might not have even been there. The season finished three days later, I spoke to the [West Brom] chair [Shilen Patel] and Andrew [Nestor, the sporting director] at Albion.”
Have something to tell us about this article?
