Nuno Espirito Santo keen on Wolves return after Lopetegui rejects job
Nuno Espirito Santo is targeting a return to management in Europe just three months after taking charge in Saudi Arabia… with former Wolves boss keen on return to Molineux after Julen Lopetegui twice rejected job
- Former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo wants European return
- He has only been managing Saudi Arabian club At-Ittihad for three months
- Sportsmail understands Nuno would be interested in a return to join Wolves
- It is unclear whether Wolves’ hierarchy are similarly enthused about a reunion
Nuno Espirito Santo is targeting a return to top-level European football barely three months after joining Saudi Arabian club At-Ittihad.
The former Wolves and Tottenham boss moved to the Middle East in July, following his short-lived reign in north London from August-November 2021.
Sportsmail understands the Portuguese would be attracted by the opportunity to return to Molineux, where he led Wolves to promotion in 2018 before establishing them in the Premier League and reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020.
Nuno Espirito Santo is aiming to land a job back in Europe after three months in Saudi Arabia
There is also believed to be interest in Nuno from Turkish giants Galatasaray.
It is unclear at this stage, however, whether Nuno’s enthusiasm for a comeback is matched among the Wolves hierarchy.
Nuno was sacked at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, just one year into a new three-year deal, after a disappointing season blighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, during which relations with the top brass had become strained.
That would not rule out a return, but it remains to be seen whether chairman Jeff Shi is ready to take that step after top target Julen Lopetegui turned down Wolves earlier this week.
Like Lopetegui, Nuno is a client of Jorge Mendes’ powerful Gestifute agency, who have a strong relationship with Wolves.
The former Wolves boss is keen on a return but it is unclear if the feeling is mutual at Molineux
The Portuguese guided them to the Premier League in 2018 by winning the Championship
While Nuno knows exactly how the club operates and has worked with a number of the players, he has a large support staff that would raise the final bill for appointing him. The 48-year-old is also a forceful, uncompromising character.
As Shi continues to search for the successor to Bruno Lage, who was sacked earlier this month, caretaker bosses Steve Davis and James Collins are again set to take charge for two crucial games, at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday and at Crystal Palace three days later.
They have interviewed former Wolves coach Rob Edwards, who was sacked by Watford earlier this season, and will continue to assess candidates based in the UK and abroad.
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