After four years as manager, Nuno Espirito Santo is set to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers after their final game of the season against Manchester United today. An awful lot has already been written and said with regards to Nuno and what he’s done for the club, and deservedly so – but many feel this is the right time to say goodbye.
From the negative playing style to how the season has gone, the board decided to make the change and it feels like the right thing to do. Wolves will finish the season in the bottom half of the table but beyond that, what he’s been able to accomplish in a general sense is fantastic.
Promotion from the Championship, two seventh place finishes in the Premier League, a Europa League quarter-final – and that’s before we even discuss some of the insane wins that we’ve seen from them against local rivals and the big six.
It’s great to see that fans are going to be back at Molineux for this one because more than anything, he deserves to be praised for his best moments. Sure, it wasn’t all great and supporters shouldn’t pretend like it is, but the sheer thought of him receiving a great reception at the end of the game is exactly the kind of thing that should motivate the players moving forward.
They need to be smart about who they select to bring in and while it’s almost guaranteed to be a Portuguese replacement, it can’t just be anyone.
Jorge Mendes has a lot of control at Molineux but that doesn’t mean he needs to be the one dictating this. Alas, that’s a different conversation for another day.
Wolves after Nuno is going to be interesting because depending on how the summer transfer window goes, they could be aiming to survive a relegation battle or potentially even make a push for the top six. That’s how unbelievably varied this whole thing is and to be perfectly honest, that should terrify and excite the Black Country faithful in equal measure.
The next step on the path to greatness for Nuno is unknown but as we’ve come to expect, the rumour mill is pretty hectic out there. Tottenham Hotspur appears to be his next destination and while that isn’t necessarily confirmed to 100% be happening, it’s on the table.
Wolves, given the team news that’s been released for Manchester United, should actually be looked upon as the favourites heading into this fixture – but win, lose or draw, it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that Nuno Espirito Santo has a good send-off, before proceeding to excel somewhere else because he’s earned that right. Now, instead of a bitter relationship, things can end on the right terms for just about everyone involved – and we’re super happy to see that’s the case.
Nuno had a dream to build a football team, with Chinese owners and wonderkids from Porto. Five at the back, pace in attack, they’re Wolverhampton, and they are most certainly on their way back.
