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Ian Cathro
Rafael Benitez's major role in Ian Cathro's journey to become new Tottenham assistant head coach
Tottenham's new assistant head coach Ian Cathro brings plenty of experience to the club despite his tender years after working at various sides across Europe over the past decade
Rob GuestTottenham Hotspur Writer
Ian Cathro's time working under Rafael Benitez was extremely beneficial (Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Tottenham players will get their first taste of working with the club's new coaching set-up this week with pre-season training commencing.
Following the news that Nuno Espirito Santo would replace Jose Mourinho at the helm after a long and frustrating search to fill the hotseat, on Saturday the Lilywhites confirmed the coaching staff set to work alongside the new man.
Known for having a six-man backroom team at Wolves, only three of his staff have travelled south to N17 as Espirito Santo's Spurs start to take shape.
Ian Cathro, one his two first-team coaches at Wolves, has been promoted to assistant head coach, with Rui Barbosa the club's new goalkeeper coach and Antonio Dias named as fitness coach.
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There is no role for Rui Pedro Silva, Julio Figueroa nor Joao Lapa in his backroom team in the capital.
The absence of Silva is perhaps the biggest shock as he has been the Portuguese's No.2 and his trusty confidant at Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto and Wolves.
However, Cathro's step up to a more prominent role quite clearly shows how highly the head coach regards the Scotsman.
Set to turn 35 on Sunday, the former Hearts boss has already built up a wealth of experience in the game despite his tender years.
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Appointed as head of Dundee United's youth academy at the age of 22, Cathro first met Espirito Santo on a coaching course in Scotland back in 2009 and later went on to become his assistant manager at Rio Ave and Valencia, before reuniting with him once again at Wolves in 2018.
Labelled as "genius" by Espirito Santo, the pair just click and that is down to how they see football.
"You wouldn't [put us together] at first! But once that happened then it became normal," he told the Express & Star.
"We're linked by the way that we see football, not just how it's played but the way it's played based on that being what makes us most likely to win.
"It's not a materialistic or superficial thing because it looks nice –it's because we believe that's the best way of getting the team the most probability of being in control of the game and winning.
Ian Cathro will be part of Nuno Espirito Santo's coaching staff at Tottenham (Image: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)
"In the vast majority of cases it transcends countries and leagues, although there are always small adjustments that need to be made.
"You have to go with what you believe in. That's the only way you can convince people to come with you."
With Espirito Santo clearly a huge influence on his career since meeting in Scotland 12 years ago, another manager to have a massive impact on Cathro is Rafael Benitez.
After departing Valencia in 2015 to link up with Steve McClaren at Newcastle United, the young coach remained on the coaching staff once the former England boss lost his job in March 2016 and the Spaniard came in.
The pair may have only worked together for a short period of time after Cathro headed to Hearts at the end of the year, but there's no denying that their time together was extremely beneficial to the Scot.
"I learned a lot working with Rafa. I was only at the club with him for a short time but it was an intense period," said Cathro, as reported by the Daily Record.
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"We had to try to stay in the league then we had to reshape the squad to prepare for the Championship.
"It was a valuable period. We talked about a lot of things. Some of it I'll keep to myself but the biggest thing was him saying you grow by taking the step and the challenge.
"The main chat was about making sure you go to the right place.
"At that point I was convinced Hearts would be the right place for me and I remain sure of that now.
"The most impressive thing is the conviction he has in his ideas. It's about how well you can convince players of those ideas.
"He's got a remarkable calmness and clarity in his thoughts, even in the most difficult moments in games. He sees things clearly and can react quickly.
Ian Cathro's time working under Rafael Benitez at Newcastle United played a huge role in his development (Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
"That probably comes over time and from living out a lot of different experiences.
"He's been coaching from a very young age. Everybody thinks about the Champions League win and the top clubs he has managed but he started at a lower level and had some difficult moments.
"To give yourself a chance of being successful you have to believe in the work you do.
"That's not something I've had to take from anybody. It comes naturally to me but maybe it's been reinforced by others like Rafa.
"There's definitely some pleasant parts to playing Newcastle, like preparing a team to play against Rafa's. It will go down as a nice moment."
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Cathro may still be rather young in the coaching game in comparison to his peers but you cannot deny the amount of experience he has picked up across Europe over the past decade.
Someone who both Matt Doherty and Moussa Sissoko will know well following their time together at Wolves and Newcastle United respectively, Cathro will be looking to excel in the next step of his journey in his new role as Tottenham assistant head coach
Rated incredibly highly by Espirito Santo and helped by his time working under the Portuguese as well as Benitez, all at Tottenham will be hoping that the new coaching setup and the players gel instantly as the team look to get back on track and start challenging towards the top once again.
If that is to be the case then Cathro will have a big role to play.
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