Nuno Espirito Santo is back in the running to be named Tottenham Hotspur manager as their search for Jose Mourinho’s replacement rumbles on.
According to Football Insider, Spurs are arranging talks with Nuno after missing out on several of their preferred candidates, including Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick and former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Nuno spent four years in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers, guiding the club to the Championship title in his first season and then establishing them back in the Premier League.
He led Wolves to seventh in consecutive seasons, as well as the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they lost to eventual champions Sevilla.
With the help of his agent, Jorge Mendes, the former Porto manager constructed an excellent squad at the Molineux, featuring several Portuguese internationals.
Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota were joined by Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Nelson Semedo and Daniel Podence in subsequent years.
After Mourinho was sacked in April, less than a week before the League Cup final, which Tottenham lost 1-0 to Manchester City, Ryan Mason was placed in temporary charge.
The 29-year-old, who came through the ranks at Spurs to become a regular under Pochettino, oversaw a seventh-place finish in the Premier League.
But Mason was never intended to be a long-term solution and discussions have been held with several managers over recent weeks.
Known targets Nagelsmann and Flick agreed to take over Bayern Munich and the German national team respectively, while Brendan Rodgers and Erik ten Hag look set to stay in their current jobs.
Discussions have been had with Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, who dramatically resigned from Fiorentina over disagreements with the club’s board over transfer policy.
After the public embarrassment caused by Spurs’ failure to land their preferred targets, Nuno at least represents a reliable and attainable alternative.
