LONDON: Tottenham have appointed Tim Sherwood as head coach on a full-time basis one week to the day after the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas.

The former England midfielder, who has been in charge of the youth set-up at White Hart Lane, began his interim spell with a 2-1 League Cup defeat by West Ham but then guided Spurs to a 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday.

He has agreed a contract until the end of the 2014-15 Premier League season.

Chairman Daniel Levy was reported on the club website as saying: “We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward.

“We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season but felt we had to do so in the club’s best interests. We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.

“We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood.”

Sherwood, who won three caps for England, joined Tottenham as a player in 1999 from Blackburn, where he won the Premier League title in 1995.

He left White Hart Lane in 2003 to join Portsmouth but returned on the coaching staff in 2008 under Harry Redknapp. Sherwood was working as technical co-ordinator when chairman Levy asked him to look after the first team after Villas-Boas’s departure.

Villas-Boas left the club after winning just two of his last seven league games in charge and Tottenham had scored only 15 goals in total before Sunday’s 3-2 win over Southampton.

Sherwood has no previous managerial experience but Spurs rejected an approach by second division [Championship] side Blackburn in October 2012 for him to become their manager.

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