Friedel impressed by new boss Villas-Boas
442 Staff - Wednesday 11 July 2012, 12:56
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel believes fans should be excited about the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas.
The former Porto and Chelsea manager was unveiled as Harry Redknapp’s replacement last week and has immediately gone to work on shaping the squad, bringing in Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Villas-Boas began his new role on Monday and Friedel, who is seven years his senior, has been impressed with what he has seen.
"You can only take people on what you see, and from what I have seen he is a very ambitious manager, he is very organised and training has been very sharp," Friedel told talkSPORT.
"He has let us know he wants to come here to win things, so in the first couple of days, everything looks very good.
"There are also a lot of great staff members behind the scenes here who stayed on, so there is still that Tottenham base.
"This is all positive and our fans should be excited for the upcoming season."
Friedel joined the White Hart Lane outfit from Aston Villa last summer and immediately established himself as Spurs’ number one under Redknapp.
However, reports suggest the club are close to bringing in Hugo Lloris from Lyon, jeopardising the 41-year-old’s position in the starting XI.
The Premier League veteran understands the need to bring in players, confessing this season could be his last in professional football.
"We will welcome any good addition to the squad," he added. "When I first signed here, there was no secret Tottenham would one day need a new long-term goalkeeper.
"I am 41, this could be my final season. I will do whatever asked of me, whether that is number one, two or three and will do it to the best of my ability.
"When you get older, it is easier to realise this is a team sport and the egos have to take a back seat if you want to be successful."