Mourinho did not use agent Mendes in talks to move to Tottenham (Mail)

Jose Mourinho did not use his long-term agent Jorge Mendes in the sensational move that took him to Tottenham this week, Sportsmail can reveal.

The Portuguese super-agent, who has guided his compatriot's career since he was a little-known coach at Porto, was not involved in the negotiations that saw his former star client replace Mauricio Pochettino earlier this week on a three-and-a-half-year contract worth £52million.

Mourinho's move to Tottenham was instead brokered by Pini Zahavi, who has worked closely with Mendes in the past, but not on this occasion.

Mendes had been responsible for all of Mourinho's previous managerial moves since he left Porto in 2004, taking him to Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, back to Chelsea and finally to Manchester United, who sacked him last December.

It is unclear precisely what caused Mourinho to dispense with Mendes' services when opening negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy earlier this month, although his final days at Old Trafford last year may provide some indication.

Mourinho expressed irritation when Mendes unilaterally released a statement on December 7 saying United were happy with the manager, which was the source of much embarrassment, not least because he was sacked 11 days later.

Mourinho took the unusual step of publicly condemning Mendes on December 11, although he still used him to negotiate his severance package from United later in the month.

'I've nothing to do with the statement,' Mourinho said. 'It is Jorge's statement; it is not my statement. I didn't know at all and I don't care about it.'

Mourinho's close relationship with Mendes has had a significant influence on many of the players his clubs have signed over the years, so their schism could have implications for Spurs' transfer activity.