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It is almost three months since Nuno Espirito Santo bade an emotional farewell at Molineux, brushing away tears as he waved goodbye to the Wolves supporters.
Nuno had a dream to build a football team, as the terrace chant went, and that vision galvanised a club and city. Yet the truth is that for all the genuine emotion that day in May, Nuno and Wolves’ four-year relationship had suffered severe turbulence long before it formally ended – a point which gives his return to the Black Country today, with new club Tottenham Hotspur, an intriguing twist.
But the question remains - how did it all go so awry? There can be no revisionism over Nuno’s four years in charge, despite the excruciating final months of his tenure. His spell at Molineux was transformative, with Wolves claiming the Championship title, reaching an FA Cup semi-final and the last eight of the Europa League, and finishing seventh two years running after he took charge in May 2017.
He established an identifiable style of play and a fearlessness which jump-started Wolves after a period where they had been dormant. Without question, Wolves were - as their fans sang - "on their way back”.
But ultimately the intensity which had fuelled Nuno's best work at Wolves proved impossible to sustain. There was friction for much of his final 18 months and players are understood to have voiced concerns that the manager's spark on the training ground had disappeared, long before his departure.
Nuno celebrates promotion to the Premier League in 2018 Credit: Reuters
Worn down by poor results, injuries to key players, and the Covid-19 restrictions which prevented him from seeing his family in Porto, Nuno became disillusioned.
Home defeats against local rivals West Bromwich Albion and Burnley set off alarm bells with a club hierarchy who were already frustrated that the club's successes were largely attributed to the manager. They felt it was more of a team effort, which was not recognised.
Nuno was a big personality but his communication skills were a source of irritation for some senior figures at the club. He could often be tricky to deal with, keeping his distance from people, and was allegedly not interested in getting involved in areas of the club beyond the first team.
This led to problems with various transfer targets. Youri Tielemans, then at Monaco, was recommended to Nuno by the recruitment team but a potential deal was effectively vetoed. The Belgian midfielder instead joined Leicester for £32million and has since emerged as one of the top flight's most consistently impressive performers.
Hwang Hee-chan, the South Korea international, was frequently scouted while at Red Bull Leipzig and a move was signed off by the board until Nuno apparently called it off.
Towards the end of the season, the decision was made to part company, with Nuno given the news by chairman Jeff Shi before the match at Everton on May 19, a 1-0 defeat.
Things turned sour for both parties in Nuno's final season Credit: Ian Hpdgson
Remarkably, he was present at press conferences before and after that game, and before his final match at home to Manchester United, without even hinting at his impending exit.
Wolves' priority was to secure a new head coach who would be more approachable and collaborative, and Bruno Lage was quickly identified as the right fit. A former Benfica manager with a league title on his CV, Lage already has experience of English football after spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea as Carlos Carvalhal’s assistant.
Lage has huge shoes to fill, but this is a fresh start for Wolves and owners Fosun. There is hope that he will galvanise Wolves in the same way Nuno did, while banishing the torpor that hung over the club last season.
Despite Lage's first match at Leicester last weekend ending in defeat, there were encouraging signs in the performance. Spirits at Molineux will also be buoyed by the return of Raul Jimenez, who is set to make his first home appearance since fracturing his skull in November.
The Mexican forward spoke warmly of Nuno earlier this week, and other players at Molineux such as Conor Coady and Ruben Neves have made no secret of the debt they owe to their former coach.
There is a sense, however, that this club is ready to move on - and while Nuno's presence in the Spurs dug-out will obviously generate intrigue, ultimately Wolves' sights are set elsewhere.
“There will be a big welcome for him and his staff on Sunday," said Lage. "What he did here was really amazing and we can feel that. We cannot forget four years of work, we need to understand the good things the team have and, day-by-day, add our own identity.
“We will do it in a different way, I don’t know whether it is better or worse. We are working hard to continue being successful. The fans cannot forget what he did but after the first whistle they will be behind me and the team.
“We want to beat Tottenham, not Nuno."
It is almost three months since Nuno Espirito Santo bade an emotional farewell at Molineux, brushing away tears as he waved goodbye to the Wolves supporters.
Nuno had a dream to build a football team, as the terrace chant went, and that vision galvanised a club and city. Yet the truth is that for all the genuine emotion that day in May, Nuno and Wolves’ four-year relationship had suffered severe turbulence long before it formally ended – a point which gives his return to the Black Country today, with new club Tottenham Hotspur, an intriguing twist.
But the question remains - how did it all go so awry? There can be no revisionism over Nuno’s four years in charge, despite the excruciating final months of his tenure. His spell at Molineux was transformative, with Wolves claiming the Championship title, reaching an FA Cup semi-final and the last eight of the Europa League, and finishing seventh two years running after he took charge in May 2017.
He established an identifiable style of play and a fearlessness which jump-started Wolves after a period where they had been dormant. Without question, Wolves were - as their fans sang - "on their way back”.
But ultimately the intensity which had fuelled Nuno's best work at Wolves proved impossible to sustain. There was friction for much of his final 18 months and players are understood to have voiced concerns that the manager's spark on the training ground had disappeared, long before his departure.
Nuno celebrates promotion to the Premier League in 2018 Credit: Reuters
Worn down by poor results, injuries to key players, and the Covid-19 restrictions which prevented him from seeing his family in Porto, Nuno became disillusioned.
Home defeats against local rivals West Bromwich Albion and Burnley set off alarm bells with a club hierarchy who were already frustrated that the club's successes were largely attributed to the manager. They felt it was more of a team effort, which was not recognised.
Nuno was a big personality but his communication skills were a source of irritation for some senior figures at the club. He could often be tricky to deal with, keeping his distance from people, and was allegedly not interested in getting involved in areas of the club beyond the first team.
This led to problems with various transfer targets. Youri Tielemans, then at Monaco, was recommended to Nuno by the recruitment team but a potential deal was effectively vetoed. The Belgian midfielder instead joined Leicester for £32million and has since emerged as one of the top flight's most consistently impressive performers.
Hwang Hee-chan, the South Korea international, was frequently scouted while at Red Bull Leipzig and a move was signed off by the board until Nuno apparently called it off.
Towards the end of the season, the decision was made to part company, with Nuno given the news by chairman Jeff Shi before the match at Everton on May 19, a 1-0 defeat.
Things turned sour for both parties in Nuno's final season Credit: Ian Hpdgson
Remarkably, he was present at press conferences before and after that game, and before his final match at home to Manchester United, without even hinting at his impending exit.
Wolves' priority was to secure a new head coach who would be more approachable and collaborative, and Bruno Lage was quickly identified as the right fit. A former Benfica manager with a league title on his CV, Lage already has experience of English football after spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea as Carlos Carvalhal’s assistant.
Lage has huge shoes to fill, but this is a fresh start for Wolves and owners Fosun. There is hope that he will galvanise Wolves in the same way Nuno did, while banishing the torpor that hung over the club last season.
Despite Lage's first match at Leicester last weekend ending in defeat, there were encouraging signs in the performance. Spirits at Molineux will also be buoyed by the return of Raul Jimenez, who is set to make his first home appearance since fracturing his skull in November.
The Mexican forward spoke warmly of Nuno earlier this week, and other players at Molineux such as Conor Coady and Ruben Neves have made no secret of the debt they owe to their former coach.
There is a sense, however, that this club is ready to move on - and while Nuno's presence in the Spurs dug-out will obviously generate intrigue, ultimately Wolves' sights are set elsewhere.
“There will be a big welcome for him and his staff on Sunday," said Lage. "What he did here was really amazing and we can feel that. We cannot forget four years of work, we need to understand the good things the team have and, day-by-day, add our own identity.
“We will do it in a different way, I don’t know whether it is better or worse. We are working hard to continue being successful. The fans cannot forget what he did but after the first whistle they will be behind me and the team.
“We want to beat Tottenham, not Nuno."
