Soccer

Nuno Espírito Santo in talks over possible Wolves return 17 months after leaving

Premier League club had to revisit managerial shortlist after Julen Lopetegui turned them down

Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates a Wolves draw at Old Trafford. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates a Wolves draw at Old Trafford. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
Ben Fisher
Fri Oct 14 2022 - 11:56

Nuno Espírito Santo is in talks over a remarkable return to Wolves, with the club’s former head coach among the candidates to succeed Bruno Lage.

Wolves have had to revisit their managerial shortlist after Julen Lopetegui turned them down for personal reasons and are seriously considering Nuno. The 48-year-old was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur last November.

Nuno signed a two-year deal with Al-Ittihad in July and his lucrative contract with the Saudi Arabian club could prove prohibitive, with compensation likely required. But Nuno’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who also represents Lopetegui, is highly influential at Molineux and could ease talks.

Wolves have also spoken to their former Under-23s coach Rob Edwards, who was recently sacked by Watford after 11 games. Edwards, a former Wolves defender, is highly regarded by the club’s hierarchy.

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If Wolves wanted to push through a reunion, Nuno would rejoin the club 17 months after he left by “mutual agreement” on the back of a 13th-placed finish in 2020-21. Nuno guided the team to successive seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League after winning the Championship title in 2017-18, his first season in charge.

Wolves host Nottingham Forest on Saturday with the academy coaches Steve Davis and James Collins set for their second game in interim charge. Wolves remain in the relegation zone after defeat at Chelsea last weekend. — Guardian