Nuno Espirito Santo has waved off talk that he could leave Wolves this summer, amid links to the vacant Tottenham job.
Santo has established wolves in top flight since their promotion from the 2018 championship and even led them to Europe in their first season back in top flight. This season has been a mild disappointment as they are somewhat far from the top seven, but Santo is still one of the most ranked managers in the Premier League.
He was loosely linked with the Spurs job shortly after Jose Mourinho was sacked, with The Express among those reporting that he is on a list of goals for Daniel Levy.
? Gradually ? pic.twitter.com/ZsTGChKKeg
– Wolves (@Wolves) April 22, 2021
This was soon followed by a report from The Mail claiming that wolves are already planning for life after Santo. They said the club sees the Portuguese trio of Vitor Pereira, Rui Faria and Bruno Lage as potential replacements and expects Santo to leave soon after four successful years in the western Midlands.
However, Santo has been associated with a move before and has always remained strongly loyal to the club. He wrote a new three-year deal in the summer and ended all immediate speculation about his future. And when he spoke to reporters on Friday, he said he has every intention of honoring that deal.
“I have a contract,” he said. “When I sign a contract, there’s nothing more I can say. It’s my decision to sign it … that’s all I want to say.
Nuno about his future
“I have a contract. When I sign a contract, there is nothing more I can say. It’s my decision to sign it … that’s all I want to say.
“When I make such a decision, there is no doubt in my mind.”
– Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) April 23, 2021
“When I make such a decision, there is no doubt in my mind.”
Arsenal and Everton have both expressed a reported interest in Santo before but it has never been enough to shake him. It remains to be seen whether Spurs, and the prospects of replacing Jose Mourinho, will turn out to be different.
However, if he has any patterns at work, he will face stiff competition. 90min learned in March that Spurs see Brendan Rodgers as a potential target, while Maurizio Sarri, Julian Nagelsmann and Erik ten Hag are among some of the other favorites.
