Tottenham close to appointing Nuno Espirito Santo as new manager

Tottenham are closing in on the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as their new boss.

Spurs have been looking for Jose Mourinho’s replacement since his sacking on April 19 and, after a chaotic recruitment process, have finally turned to the former Wolves manager.

Nuno left Molineux at the end of last season and looks set to stay in the Premier League after incoming football managing director Fabio Paratici persuaded chairman Daniel Levy to give him the job.

It is understood Levy had some misgivings about the Portuguese’s style of play at Wolves, having been so vocal about the need for a new manager to play “attacking” football.

Nuno is expected to be in position to take the start of pre-season training on Monday, where players not involved in international football this summer will return to Hotspur Way.

His appointment, if concluded, will bring to an end a frenetic – and at times farcical – search for Mourinho’s successor.

Spurs courted former boss Mauricio Pochettino and then, with the imminent arrival of Paratici, turned their attention to former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

Talks were quickly shelved after it was clear Conte did not fit the profile and former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca – who Mourinho is replacing in the Italian capital – was set to get the job.

However, with contracts drawn up, Spurs again pulled the plug in favour of Gennaro Gattuso, only for the former AC Milan and Napoli boss to be immediately discarded after a strong fan reaction.

Attention then turned to Nuno and, after Paratici did his bidding with Levy, it appears he has got the job.

He has been available since May after his four-year stint at Wolves ended.

The 47-year-old took over in the summer of 2017 and immediately led Wolves out of the Championship before delivering two seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League.

They also made the Europa League quarter-final in 2019-20 but the loss of Diogo Jota and a serious injury to Raul Jimenez saw the midlands club slump to a 13th-placed finish last season.