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Nuno Espirito Santo: Wolves appoint former Porto boss as head coach

Last updated on .From the section Wolvescomments37

Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno's Porto were knocked out of this season's Champions League at the last-16 stage by eventual finalists Juventus

Wolves have named former Porto and Valencia boss Nuno Espirito Santo as their head coach to succeed Paul Lambert, who left Molineux on Tuesday.

Nuno, 43, is the seventh man to take charge of the Championship club since February 2012 and the fourth boss in 10 months under Chinese owners Fosun.

"I first got to know Nuno two years ago," said Wolves director Jeff Shi.

"At that time, we hadn't taken over Wolves. But, when talking to him, I was impressed by his football tactics."

Former Porto, Dynamo Moscow and Desportivo das Aves goalkeeper Nuno has signed what is understood to be a three-year contract.

He has brought in a new backroom team - Rui Pedro Silva as assistant head coach, Rui Barbosa as goalkeeping coach and Antonio Dias as fitness coach.

"Since the very beginning of the Wolves project, Fosun has been very clear on our strategic thinking and philosophy, and has huge ambition and confidence to achieve our goals," added Shi.

"In a sense, we are very glad to find Nuno with a football philosophy that is similar to ours. He has an impressive track record in the top divisions in Spain and Portugal."

Wolves, who began last season under former Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga, finished 15th in the second tier in 2016-17.

Zenga lasted just three months before Lambert took charge and, seven months later, Wolves "parted company" with Lambert following an end-of-season football review.

Who is Nuno Espirito Santo?

Born on the African island of Sao Tome and Principe, Nuno played for Vitoria Guimaraes, Sport Clube Vila Real, Deportivo La Coruna, Merida, Osasuna, Porto, where he played under Jose Mourinho, Dynamo Moscow and Clube Desportivo das Aves in an 18-year playing career.

Having become the very first client of agent Jorge Mendes in his playing days, Wolves will be Nuno's fourth club as manager.

He began with Rio Ave in Portugal's top division, before 16 months in Spain at Valencia, who he took to fourth in La Liga, before leaving the following November, when he was succeeded by Gary Neville.

Nuno was appointed Porto head coach in June 2016 on a two-year deal, but he left in May having led his team to second in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, six points behind champions Benfica.

Porto also reached the last 16 of the Champions League, losing 3-0 on aggregate to eventual finalists Juventus.

Five of the top six clubs in the Championship in 2016-17 had foreign managers, including three - Newcastle's Rafael Benitez, Huddersfield's David Wagner and Reading's Jaap Stam - who had not experienced a full season in the division before.

Analysis

BBC WM's Mike Taylor

There are no surprises in Wolves' announcement. The arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo had been well trailed, and he brings with him a three-man coaching staff, replacing all of Lambert's assistants, whose dismissals were announced 24 hours earlier.

It is understood that he has signed a three-year contract, a luxury not afforded to his predecessor.

Wolves' main director Jeff Shi is quoted as saying that Nuno has a similar football philosophy to that of the club's owners Fosun.

Nuno also has a long-term association with the so-called super agent Jorge Mendes, with whom Fosun work very closely.

A raft of potential new signings - many of them from Portugal, although not all - are already being linked with moves to Molineux.

While Norwich's Ryan Bennett is the first to arrive, Ghanaian international Phil Ofosu-Ayeh is reported by newspapers in his own country to be another about to sign up.

Comments

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37 comments

  • Comment posted by pdh, at 17:01 31 May 2017

    The real story here is that Wolves managerial appointments and player recruitment are now being managed by a so called 'super agent'. Surely a massive conflict of interest there??

  • Comment posted by Woodydude, at 17:42 31 May 2017

    How long til he gets the sack? January? Then a British manager comes in, steadies the ship then gets sacked because he won't agree to not having the final say on transfers from the "super agent". Foreign manager appointed. Rinse and repeat until Fosun get bored.

  • Comment posted by Champ20ns, at 17:43 31 May 2017

    Who???

    Would have been better off keeping Paul Lambert. He never had a chance because he isn't called Paulo Lamberti.

  • Comment posted by ianH, at 18:47 31 May 2017

    Is this club run by Jorge Mendes? 11 players now the head coach and his 3 assistants starting to look like a Portuguese enclave! O país negro.

  • Comment posted by D1687626204332, at 17:25 31 May 2017

    Risky. I'm not sure these owners know what they are doing. Zenga was a disaster, Lambert steadies the ship and now he's gone and another overseas man is appointed seemingly to work UNDER an agent? 12/1 to go down, fill your boots.

  • Comment posted by Vox Populi, at 19:05 31 May 2017

    Apart from Chris Hughton at Brighton, in the past season all the managers who were doing well in the Championship were overseas managers, many of them inexperienced in the division. Club owners and chairmen will have looked at that, which will dismay those who think more homegrown managers should be managing clubs in the 2nd tier. Benitez, Wagner, Stam, Jokanovic, & Carvalhal have influenced this.

  • Comment posted by grahame, at 21:32 31 May 2017

    No problem with his nationality, but what has game come to when agents run the recruitment. Expect a raft of Mendes players. Maybe when they're relegated with 11 of his players the owners might realise it's best to allow directors of football and the managers to decide who to sign.
    The lunatics really have taken over the asylum

  • Comment posted by Wee Brian, at 17:43 31 May 2017

    Good luck to Wolves - a club with a great history and support deserving of Premier League status, but this does seem bizarre to me. Paul Lambert had done OK in trying circumstances yet now he goes and another overseas manager comes in. This doesn't look like a recipe for success to me.

  • Comment posted by captain81, at 22:29 31 May 2017

    I was never convinced of Lambert, very uninspiring manager and far from the 'safe hands' some have tried to paint him as on here - limping to safety. I'm just glad he wasn't replaced with Karanka or Pearson though. But the real concern is that the agent seems to be running the show... Last season started with a raft of new players trying to be shoe horned into the team and they never recovered...

  • Comment posted by Simon Holmes, at 23:04 31 May 2017

    Can see them doing a Blackburn under these owners sadly.

  • Comment posted by BaggiosPonytail, at 16:50 31 May 2017

    I can't believe he has overlooked the expertise of P Neville.

  • Comment posted by cmac, at 23:09 31 May 2017

    I wonder how long he will last ? Will he be there at Christmas ? Unlikely, given what he seemingly has to work under. They will go the way of so many other teams, down the way. Serves them right. I feel sorry for the real supporters. Super agent ? What an oxymoron, leeches, one and all

  • Comment posted by Galactico , at 20:36 31 May 2017

    Despite all comments about him not being British, Nuno is a very good coach. He got Valencia top 4 and turned them into a competitive team. Look at them now! Although he ddnt leave them to well.

  • Comment posted by The Winslow Boy, at 18:23 31 May 2017

    The Wolves rollercoaster continues. No one ever said it was going to be dull with Fosun in charge. Feel sorry for Lambert in the way he's been treated but that seems to be the way in modern football these days. That said, we need to give Nuno Espirito Santo (sounds like a prayer.... and perhaps we'll need one or two) our full support and hope that he can bring the glory days back to Molineux.

  • Comment posted by Werewolf-Therewolf, at 18:48 1 Jun 2017

    I am a WW season ticket holder. Nuno may be a disaster, he may turn out to be a wonder, I don't know, but Lambert looked set to bore us to death.
    "He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions." [Confucius].

  • Comment posted by jonnyboy, at 18:28 31 May 2017

    After their disparaging comments to Norwich City and their fans last week, one wonders what the "experts" Alan Brazil and Ray Wilkins will have to say about this!!!

  • Comment posted by Landlova, at 21:39 31 May 2017

    What a mess. Just sounds like message when Lambert was appointed and look where we are now.

    Can not see a success coming from someone who has no experience of championship football.

    Had confidence in Lambert, not in Fosun who see owning Wolves as a project, get real!

    And as for their wonder scout, he is totally useless and making a fortune out of bad decisions.

  • Comment posted by carer, at 18:57 31 May 2017

    His previous jobs were all near the lovely warm coast in spain & portugal, with beaches close by.

  • Comment posted by currygobbler, at 21:29 31 May 2017

    All I can say is Pepe Mel was a well respected coach........................and what happened there!! New manager by christmas.

  • Comment posted by Kaiser, at 16:50 31 May 2017

    Nuno Espirito Santo - Welcome to Wolverhampton

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