The Portuguese signed a three-year contract with the north London club on Tuesday, replacing Harry Redknapp who was dismissed last month.
It is Villas-Boas' second managerial position in the English Premier League after his tumultuous tenure at Chelsea lasted just nine months. He was sacked in March amid reports of dressing room unrest.
"I did not think that is the way Spurs would go," Hoddle told ESPN. "It's more than a slight risk because of the way things didn't work out at Chelsea.
"I thought it might have been better for him to go and reinvent himself elsewhere before he had another crack at English football."
"He's a young manager, he wants to be the best so he will have learnt a lot from his time at Chelsea," Mabbutt told Sky Sports.
"We want to be in the Champions league every single year. We believe we've got a young squad that have got the potential."
