Tottenham Hotspur pulled the plug on Nuno Espirito Santo’s time in North London, following an abysmal performance against Manchester United, which saw them lose 3-0. The Nuno experiment lasted just 17 games, with the Portuguese manager losing five of their last seven games, a run that was deemed too much by the Spurs hierarchy.
Nuno’s ill-fated time on White Hart Lane did not start all rosy either, with the former Wolves boss being Chairman, Daniel Levy’s fourth choice of who he wanted to take charge. After his efforts to employ other candidates failed, the job fell the Nuno.
Club announcement.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 1, 2021
To make matters worse, the big headline at Spurs was that England captain and star striker Harry Kane, had made his feelings clear that he wanted to leave the club. This resulted in Nuno spending half his pre-season dodging questions on whether Kane would be in a Tottenham shirt again, not ideal.
Spurs had made it clear in the summer that they wanted a fresh approach, following a fallout with the negative style of Jose Mourinho, but Nuno was never truly the answer.
At Wolves, he created a team that would not get beat easily, with a strong-willed three at the back, and a hard-fighting midfield two, with fast-paced wingers and a strong focal point up top. In a different world, it may have worked, but it was certainly not in Levy’s plans.
Was it the right decision to sack Nuno? 🤔
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 1, 2021
Who do you want to see as the next manager of Tottenham? 🤔#bbcfootball #THFC
In truth, there was never much hope for Nuno. Picked at the end of a drawn-out managerial process, a bit like a January panic buy and thrown into a mess that left him with a wantaway talismanic striker, a negative team and a Chairman who never thought of him as his manager.
Despite his predicament, Nuno’s Spurs did show glimpses of what it could do, primarily in the win over Manchester City, but the Portuguese’s fate was set, and he’ll be back in management when the time is right, no doubt.
Tottenham’s search for Nuno’s replacement has brought them back to the start, with former Chelsea and Juventus boss, Antonio Conte, taking over.
Conte brings a wealth of experience and pedigree, and was believed to be Levy’s first choice in the summer, though talks broke down. Conte also has a history of turning teams around, turning Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan into title winners within two years.
With Conte accepting Tottenham’s proposal, he could arguably be a good answer for them to turn around their fortunes, but he will certainly need a lot more backing than Nuno was ever given.