Tottenham boss Martin Ho cites Diego Simeone and Michael Jordan among surprise managerial influences

Having been appointed as the head coach of Tottenham Women in July, Ho has made a promising start to the 2025-26 Women’s Super League season. The Liverpudlian, who joined Spurs after a two-year spell at SK Brann which saw him lead the Norwegian side to the quarter-finals of the 2023-24 Women’s Champions League, has won five of his first seven games in charge of Tottenham. Across both the WSL and the Women’s League Cup, Ho’s side have secured victories over West Ham, Everton, Aston Villa, Leicester and Brighton, with their only defeats coming in the league to title-chasing pair Manchester City and Chelsea.

And following Spurs’ strong beginnings under Ho, he has since revealed a number of sporting icons have helped him get to where he is today. When asked by BBC 5 Live about the key influences on his career to date, he was quick to pay tribute to long-time Atletico boss Simeone, as well as former Australia and England rugby union head coach Eddie Jones.

“Eddie Jones was a big one in terms of his man-management and his delegation around management and staff and how they done things,” said Ho.

“And Diego Simeone’s a big one from Atletico Madrid. Just from the playing style and more because of his persistence over a long period of time. He’s probably the longest-serving manager in men’s football and I think to be at a club for so long and deliver so many consistent results but then deliver titles also maybe with a squad that maybe people don’t always feel have the top, elite-level players, but he gets the best out of them individually by developing them. Yeah, that kind of motivates me to know that it’s not always the finances and resources you need, it’s kind of what’s within. And if you’ve got the right people around you and the right group of players who work hard and you have the right mindset, I believe you can achieve a lot.”

And Ho’s influences are not limited to football either, with the former Everton and Manchester United assistant citing basketball stars Jordan and Kobe Bryant as two people whom he has also learned a great deal from.

Continuing to name the sporting legends who have helped him develop as a coach, Ho said: “In terms of sporting icons, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant in terms of how they kind of harness a community and get people around them to be their best in terms of how they interact with the local community, how they more importantly interact with people around them. So those kind of things drive me to want to take advantage of my job, I’m in a privileged position and I want to make sure I take advantage of that.”

Having taken over the helm in 2011, Simeone’s work at Atletico has led to him being considered as one of the greatest managers of his generation. Competing against Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona, Simeone has continually punched above his weight with Los Rojiblancos, winning two La Liga titles, two Europa Leagues and two UEFA Super Cups with the club. Simeone has also been credited with rebuilding his Atletico side over a number of years, as well as reviving the 4-4-2 formation in the modern game.

Next up for Simeone and Atletico is a home clash against Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, 18 October, following the international break. Meanwhile, Ho and Tottenham are back in action when they entertain Birmingham City in the group stage of the League Cup on Sunday, 19 October.