After what might have been the most long-winded managerial search in club history, Tottenham were finally able to appoint a coach. In Nuno Espirito Santo, they were able to pick up a top quality coach with a sound tactical brain. Having chosen to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers after a divide on how to move forward, Nuno stepped away from the Midlands club whom he had revived.
Most assumed he would step into a job in either La Liga or the Premier League, where his vast experience was already counted.
However, despite the fact that Nuno was seen as a solid coach, Spurs fans were hoping for more. A summer that was sold with the arrival of Fabio Paratici, most fans expected a Serie A-adjacent manager to arrive. The potential arrival of Antonio Conte or Max Allegri soon fell away, with both coaches rejecting the approach from Spurs. Other names in Italy were linked, including the likes of Gennaro Gattuso.
The hard-hitting enforcer, though, did not land the Spurs job after fan outcry over the potential section.
And so, the choice of Nuno was one that was seen as both sensible and difficult to connect with. Many fans seen the ex-Wolves coach as a smart choice, but one that would clearly know he was well down the list of appointees. The fact that someone like Gattuso, who had left Milan, Napoli, and then Fiorentina in short order, was rated ahead of the Portuguese was a clear red flag.
With a tough start to the season well underway, then, some fans are already worried that the Nuno era could have run its course. Talk is abound around the club that Nuno is already on the hotseat, with a potential sacking in the offing.
Would Spurs sack Nuno after just a few months?
If the club was to go through with the sacking of a manager who arrived in a club in utter turmoil, it would likely have a huge impact. For one, Spurs have adapted to a new system under a coach with a very clear way of working. As such, Spurs need to give the project time to adapt. Throw in a series of wantaway stars and big names who have essentially downed tools, and the job is an increasingly hard one.
Any coach would struggle, and the summer proved that Spurs is not the marquee position once assumed. The signing of Jose Mourinho, although an eventual failure, was seen by some at Spurs as proof of the clubs pulling power. Their inability to coax the likes of the unemployed Conte into the role, though, shows the limits of the club.
As such, removing Nuno would likely leave Spurs with another series of questions to ask of top coaches. It would be tough to convince any manager of genuine standing to come to a club that has become a sacking team once again after the relative serenity and comfort of the Pochettino era.
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