Nuno Santo’s big decision: Everton, Crystal Palace, Tottenham or somewhere else?
Last month we put forward six options for Nuno Santo after Wolves revealed that he would be leaving the club after four years in charge.
Amongst the jobs we listed, a couple were in the Premier League at Tottenham and Crystal Palace - both of whom are still searching for a new manager - however, Tuesday’s abrupt and surprising departure of Carlo Ancelotti means that Everton will have burst onto Nuno’s radar.
Below, we’ve had a revamped look at what the future could have in store for the former Wolves boss...
Crystal Palace
Nuno is eager to return to management and has already held talks with Crystal Palace, as has been reported by various outlets.
The Portuguese coach is the narrow favourite in the betting to replace Roy Hodgson - ahead of Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche, and Steve Cooper - with Bet Victor currently offering odds of 2/1.
The attraction from Palace’s perspective is obvious. Nuno has an impressive Premier League record - which includes two 7th place finishes - he created an identity and moulded together a tight-knit group at Wolves, and pertinently he thrived at the helm of a project.
The fact that he’s been in discussions with the Eagles shows that he’s interested in the position, however the question now is whether his head will be turned by the sudden vacancy at Everton.
Everton
The betting can be volatile in the immediate aftermath of a managerial exit, but at the time of writing Santo is the frontrunner to succeed Ancelotti with multiple bookies’: he’s currently a best-priced 2/1 with Paddy Power.
Make no mistake about it, Ancelotti’s move to Real Madrid is heartbreaking for Everton, whose owner Farhad Moshiri must now make his fifth permanent appointment in five years.
And this next appointment is absolutely huge.
As for a move for Nuno, Football Insider have claimed that Moshiri has already spoken to agent Jorge Mende about the possibility of his client coming to Goodison Park.
We’ll have to wait and see how this story develops in what promises to be a very competitive market with the likes of Rafa Benitez, Eddie Howe, David Moyes, and even Antonio Conte all linked within the opening 24 hours.
Tottenham
After Wolves announced that Nuno would be leaving, he was immediately installed as the favourite for the Tottenham job.
He’s since drifted out to 25/1 (Bet Victor) following the news that former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is interested in a return.
Antonio Conte has been linked too, while Erik ten Hag, Graham Potter, and Roberto Martinez all still feature in the top echelon of the market.
In truth, if Nuno does embark upon a swift return to the Premier League dugout it looks like it will be with the aforementioned Crystal Palace or Everton.
Nuno will surely be interested in Spurs, but with Pochettino and Conte now grabbing all the headlines an appointment appears more remote by the day. Furthermore, journalist Alan Nixon reports that the 47-year-old hasn’t been approached by Daniel Levy.
He’s not been asked by Spurs ... https://t.co/WLzWNLyeTT
— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) May 31, 2021
Anyone else?
Celtic’s plans to appoint Howe were shattered last Friday, although it now looks like former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou, 1/9 Paddy Power, is heading to Glasgow.
It’s recently been reported that Nuno has been linked with Aston Villa but with Dean Smith at the helm - and doing a fine job - we are going to rule that one out for now.
Italy’s managerial merry-go-round has been absolutely nuts during the last couple of weeks with a host of high-profile comings and goings. At the time of writing Lazio are still looking for a new manager, as are French champions Lille following Christophe Galtier’s decision to leave.
However, for the moment at least it looks like Nuno's next destination is likely to come in the Premier League.
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