Nuno Espirito Santo to leave Wolves at the end of the season after serving four years as manager

Nuno Espirito Santo will leave Wolverhampton Wanderers after the final game of the Premier League season, after serving four years as manager.

The Portuguese manager oversaw a rise from the Championship to the Premier League during his four-year spell at Molineux. The 47-year-old, who left Porto to take charge in 2017, won the EFL Championship title in his first season as Wolves manager, guiding them to back to back seventh placed finishes in the top-flight after promotion.

Nuno will take charge of his last game as Wolves manager on Sunday against Manchester United at the Molineux

Under Nuno, Wolves collected 99 points on their way to the Championship title in 2017-18, finishing nine points clear of second-placed Cardiff with 30 wins from 46 games. They continued to impress in the Premier League with their slick, attacking football.

The highlight of Nuno’s four years in charge was taking Wolves to the quarterfinals of last season’s Europa League. This season, however has been more of a struggle with injuries and the departures of key players resulting in a bottom-half finish. Wolves are in 12th place ahead of their final game of the season at home to Manchester United.

“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,” Nuno said. “We achieved our goals, we did it with passion and we did it together.

“Firstly, I want to thank the supporters, who have all played such an important part in helping us reach new heights for Wolves, and the people of the city, who embraced us and made us feel at home. I, of course, want to thank all of the staff at Wolves, for their support and total commitment, every single day. Most importantly, I want to thank each-and-every player that we’ve worked with since the day we started, for their loyalty, their dedication, hard work and talent. They are the ones who have made this amazing journey possible for us.“

“Sunday will be a very emotional day, but I am so happy that the fans will be back in Molineux and we can share one last special moment together, as one pack.” remarked an emotional Nuno in the press conference.

Wolves’s executive chairman Jeff Shi had loads of praises for the manager: “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.”

The shock of Nuno’s departure comes more from the timing rather than the fact it is actually happening. It has been clear all season he has not found it easy working in a pandemic, away from his family and trying to find answers to unexpected problems on the pitch. Nuno will take charge of his last game on Sunday against Manchester United at the Molineux, with 4,500 fans expected to attend, as he prepares to bid adieu to the fans.

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