June 30, (THEWILL) – North London English Premier League club Tottenham have become the latest European side to confirm a manager to take their team into the 2021/2022 football season with the announcement of the appointment of former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
The announcement means Spurs finally solve their managerial personnel difficulty with the Nuno pick, settling for the manager who left Wolves by mutual consent at the end of the season. According to the confirmation, he signed a two-year deal with Spurs until 2023.
Spurs protracted and often chaotic 72-day search for a successor after sacking Jose Mourinho in April due to a slump in form from December last year, was a story for the headlines. Club Chairman Daniel Levy initially wanted former Inter Milan title-winning manager, Antonio Conte, but the negotiations did not mature before they collapsed.
Before deciding on Nuno, who is the latest recommendation of the club’s incoming manager director Fabio Paratici, Spurs also ended talks with former Roma manager Paulo Fonseca and former Napoli and Fiorentina coach Gennaro Gattuso earlier this month.
Prior to these candidates, Spurs held talks with Ajax coach Erik ten Hag and Hansi Flick, the next head coach of Germany, and even attempted to convince Mauricio Pochettino to return to the club from Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
Commenting on his appointment, Nuno said: “When you have a squad with quality and talent, we want to make the fans proud and enjoy. It’s an enormous pleasure and honour (to be here), there’s joy and I’m happy and looking forward to starting work.
“We don’t have any days to lose and we must start working immediately as the pre-season starts in a few days.”
Ahead of finalising the deal, Paratici arrived in London on Tuesday to officially take up his new position due to start in July and was immediately involved with the club’s completion of the mid-morning Wednesday deal with Nuno.
THEWILL recalls that Nuno won the UEFA Cup and Champions League under Mourinho while at Porto. He was considered to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and Crystal Palace previously had him in mind for their vacant managerial slot.
The coach guided his last side Wolves to the Premier League and established them as a top-flight club, although his counter-punching style has drawn comparisons with Mourinho and appears at odds with Levy’s preference for a coach who will promote “free-flowing, attacking” football in north London.
He will be charged with taking the club into the season where they will participate in the inaugural UEFA Conference League but with a big question mark on the future of talisman and star player Harry Kane, who had expressly demonstrated his eagerness to leave after Euro 2020.
A rebuilding of sorts will be Nuno’s primary responsibility with or without Kane in the side. Ways to iron out the imbalance in the squad may give him his first headaches before the preseason then, ultimately the task of returning Spurs to the Champions League as quickly as the next season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
