Could Nuno Santo return to the Premier League (PL)?
Transfer market pundit Fabrizio Romano tweeted on social media on Monday (June 19), “Nottingham Forest are in contact with Nuno as their new manager. The negotiations are ongoing. If Nottingham were to sack Cooper, Nuno would be the leading candidate.”
“Nuno has emerged as an option for Nottingham,” said The Athletic in the UK. Cooper is under pressure with just one win in his last 13 games. Nottingham are looking for a replacement, with Julen Lopetegui initially mooted, but Nuno has also emerged.”
Nuno spent his career at Valencia and Porto. He arrived in England in 2017 when he joined Wolverhampton. It was a good start. After winning the English Football League Championship (EFL Championship, second division) in 2017-18, the club challenged for the Premier League (PL) in 2018-19. Under Nuno, Wolverhampton surged to a seventh-place finish in the final league standings. This was rewarded with a UEFA Europa League (UEL) ticket.
However, in the 2020-21 season, Nuno was released from his contract after a poor run of results. A serious injury to main man Raul Jimenez and the departure of Diogo Jota to Liverpool were cited as reasons. Nuno left Wolverhampton to start fresh.
He didn’t have to wait long to get the job. Tottenham Hotspur, where Jose Mourinho had left. Like Wolverhampton, Tottenham got off to a good start. They turned the world of soccer upside down by beating defending champions Manchester City in the opening game of the 2021-22 PL season. Three consecutive league wins also earned Nuno the Manager of the Month award. He seemed to have put to rest the concerns that had been raised before his appointment.
However, it was a disaster from there. Starting with the loss to Crystal Palace, the team lost three straight games. Even against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, they conceded nine goals in three games. Concerns about Nuno, which had been raised in the past, grew, and there was even talk of his dismissal. In the end, Nuno was forced to leave Tottenham after just four months in charge.
Next up was Saudi Arabia. Nuno’s arrival at Al Ittihad in July last year culminated in the club winning the Saudi Professional League and Saudi Super Cup over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr. Investment has been aggressive. Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, Luis Felipe, and Zotta were added to the squad this summer.
But the partnership didn’t last long. By the 12th round, Al Ittihad had slumped to sixth place, the most lethargic of the clubs backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), including Al Hilal, Al Nasr, and Al Ahli. Defeats to Iraqi clubs Al-Khutbah and Al-Zawiyah in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) led to his dismissal.
That’s when Nunu left Saudi Arabia. With his job back on the line, it has been suggested that Nuno could take the reins at Nottingham behind Cooper. Nottingham, who are winless, welcome Bournemouth to the Anbang City Ground in the next round.