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Nuno Espirito Santo’s four-year reign at Wolves has ended in a surprise move initiated by owners Fosun.
The Portuguese head coach will depart after Sunday’s game against Manchester United after Fosun moved to take action following a disappointing Premier League season.
Wolves’s statement revealed the decision to part company was mutual consent, but it is understood that Chinese ownership Fosun believed his exit was the way forward after months of friction behind the scenes.
Jeff Shi, the Wolves executive chairman, started discussions with Nuno over his future earlier this week before the announcement was made on Friday afternoon, shortly after the players were given the news at the training ground.
Bruno Lage, the former Benfica manager, is emerging as an early front- runner to replace Nuno but Wolves insist that an appointment is not imminent.
Wolves will finish the season in their lowest position since returning to the Premier League and Fosun have been frustrated by the poor performances and results.
There have also been disagreements over the transfer policy and even Nuno’s communication, but the decision to let him depart has still come as a huge shock.
After his appointment in May 2017, the former goalkeeper guided Wolves to the Championship title, two seventh-placed finishes, an FA Cup semi-final and the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
In a statement, Nuno said: “Since the first day we arrived at Compton, our ambition was to make a positive change and push this football club forward, and I am proud to say that we did that every single day.
“We achieved our goals, we did it with passion and we did it together.”
Nuno has endured a difficult final season, with striker Raul Jimenez absent since November after fracturing his skull against Arsenal.
The decision to sell Diogo Jota and Matt Doherty was designed to modify their style of play, but entertainment has been in short supply this season. Wolves have scored just 35 goals in the league.
The 1-0 loss at Everton on Wednesday night was their 16th of the season and they will face United this weekend 12th in the table.
Shi said: "Nuno has brought us some incredibly special moments at Wolves that will never be forgotten but every chapter comes to an end.
"His loyalty and dedication over the last four years has been immeasurable and we cannot thank him enough for the progress he has made for Wolves.
"Sunday was already going to be a very special day, welcoming our supporters back for the first time in more than a year, but it will also now be a fitting goodbye for someone who will forever remain an important part of Wolves history."
Nuno Espirito Santo gave Wolves fans the chance to dream
By John Percy
“Dreaming is for free” was one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s many famous quotes, and over four years he delivered so many magical moments.
When he was appointed in May 2017, Wolves had just finished 15th in the Championship under Paul Lambert and Conor Coady was a midfielder.
Yet what followed has been an exhilarating roller coaster ride of success, breathtaking football and indelible memories, with the brooding yet brilliant Portuguese at the heart of everything.
The shock-waves from his departure will be felt for some time, yet for many Wolves supporters there was a feeling of inevitability that changes were coming.
Wolves will finish in their lowest position since returning to the Premier League and for much of this season it has been a tough slog, with little entertainment or room for optimism.
Ahead of their five-year anniversary, owners Fosun have made their biggest decision since the takeover and one thing is patently obvious: they remain as ambitious and driven as ever.
There is no place for sentiment in the enduring pursuit of progress. It is a calculated decision initiated by chairman Jeff Shi, with the intention of creating a new cycle.
Despite the struggles of the past season, Nuno will depart as a key figure in Wolves’s recent history.
Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates promotion in 2018 Credit: REUTERS
From his first training session, he made it abundantly clear how he wanted his team to play and transformed the club from top to bottom, instilling an identity which will never be repeated.
They are arguably one of the best teams to have ever operated in the Championship: only a few weeks into the season Matt Doherty insisted, in an off-the-record remark before an interview, that Wolves were going to coast the league. It epitomised the confidence flowing through the squad.
It seems ridiculous now to think of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota facing the likes of Burton Albion and Bolton, but this was a vital part of the journey and set them on their way.
Wolves made an instant impression in the Premier League, performing like seasoned veterans and big-game hunters to claim some huge scalps along the way.
Two seventh-placed finishes and an FA Cup semi-final followed, with the reward a place in the Europa League.
It was an arduous yet memorable experience in the competition, from the qualifying rounds against minnows Crusaders to taking on Sevilla in the quarter-final. The defeat against Sevilla was the final match of a staggering 383-day season.
It then began to unravel. Nuno was always speaking of the need to adapt and stay “one step ahead” of opponents, so gambled by reshaping the style of play.
There was little time for pre-season and the sales of Jota and Doherty followed, with Nuno opting for a more possession-based approach.
It didn’t look like it was working, even before the
sickening head injury sustained by Raul Jimenez at Arsenal on November 29.
The absence of their talisman was significant, impossible to solve, and the signing of Willian Jose from Real Sociedad in January has been a poor one. Fabio Silva, the teenager signed for a record £35 million, was thrown in at the deep end way ahead of schedule.
Against this backdrop, Nuno has worked through a worldwide pandemic with the
majority of his family a thousand miles away in Porto.
He has appeared drained for much of the season, devoid of inspiration at times. The weight of the world appears to have been on his shoulders at times, and he frequently insisted that football would never be the same again after Covid-19.
Despite what many people who do not attend his press conferences would suggest, he is often good value.
Clearly a deep thinker, the Zoom era has improved his answers to questions, with Nuno seemingly preferring the structure and detached nature of speaking to journalists from a laptop screen.
On Friday, he was polite and genuinely emotional about the return of supporters to Molineux this weekend. When asked by
Telegraph Sport about his plans for next week, his response about only focusing on Sunday’s match did not seem out of place.
Less than an hour later came the official announcement and while there has clearly been friction over issues this season, it still came as a huge surprise.
He will be remembered as the head coach who sparked the Old Gold back into life, giving supporters the chance to dream.
