Arsenal legend Paul Merson makes brutal Nuno Espirito Santo Tottenham sack prediction

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Arsenal icon Paul Merson claims that Nuno Espirito Santo will face the sack if his Tottenham side lose to Aston Villa this weekend. The Portuguese is already on the ropes after a run of three successive Premier League defeats, the latest of which a crushing 3-1 North London Derby defeat at the Emirates. 

The start of Nuno’s tenure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium appeared promising when Spurs went into the first international break top of the table. 

Three consecutive victories had all come via narrow margins, however, and they have since come unstuck in dramatic fashion. 

Batterings at the hands of Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal have knocked Spurs off their perch, making Sunday’s encounter with Villa a crucial one.  

Thankfully for Nuno, a resounding 5-1 Conference League victory in midweek could shrug off some doubters, although it was over Slovenian minnows Mura. 

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Merson is still sceptical as to whether a recovery is on the horizon, believing that Nuno is at risk of being the season’s first managerial casualty. 

“Nuno has lost the players at Tottenham and if they lose this weekend I don’t see how he survives the international break,” Merson wrote in The Daily Star.

“I think he’s got 90 minutes against Aston Villa to to turn it around.

“Daniel Levy is no mug. He knows when managers are up against it with the players.

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“You can tell. Nuno has lost the dressing room already. Completely and utterly. They don’t seem that interested.”

The Spurs boss was always going to be under increased pressure this campaign given that the club had tailed several other top managers before turning in his direction. 

A number of those could still be available if chairman Daniel Levy decided it was time for a switch-up. 

Antonio Conte is still on the market after leaving Inter Milan at the end of last season, while Graham Potter has only enhanced his reputation since making a superb start to the campaign with Brighton. 

One thing which could buy Nuno more time in the hotseat is the chaotic nature of Spurs’ manager hunt over the summer. 

Having been rejected by a number of top coaches in a pursuit which went on for weeks, the club will surely need to have Nuno’s successor ready and in place before cutting ties. 

Levy may have a tough time attracting a top-class coach to manage an ageing squad with a star player in Harry Kane who supposedly wants to leave. 

Still, if Villa do emerge victorious from Sunday’s contest, Merson could be proved right and Tottenham quickly forced into action. 

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