Wolverhampton Wanderers are in talks with Nuno Espirito Santo over his potential return to Molineux. So, what were the coach’s biggest wins in charge of Wolves during his first stint?
Nuno previously stood at the helm of the West Midlands club between 2017 and 2021 and oversaw their promotion into the Premier League. The Portuguese also led Wolves to two seventh-place finishes, along with an FA Cup semi-final and a Europa League quarter-final.
- NEVES AND JOTA WERE AMONG NUNO’S FIRST 13 TRANSFERS IN CHARGE OF WOLVES
- BONATINI AND COADY WERE IN NUNO’S FIRST XI IN CHARGE OF WOLVES VS BORO
Wolves effectively sacked Nuno in May 2021 following a disappointing top-flight campaign, despite him being under contract until 2023. Yet the 48-year-old may now be set to return to Molineux, having held talks over their vacant manager position after sacking Bruno Lage.
Wolves are in talks with Nuno over the Al-Ittihad boss replacing Lage
The Express & Star reports Wolves are in talks with Nuno’s representatives to debate the Al-Ittihad boss replacing Lage. He only took charge of the Saudi Arabian side in July but is also pushing to return to Molineux. However, Wolves will not rush into appointing a new coach.
Instead, Molineux chiefs intend to speak to several alternative candidates before finalising their process of replacing Lage. Wolves would also need to pay Al-Ittihad compensation for freeing the 48-year-old from his contract in Jeddah, which does not expire until June 2024.
He could also reunite with some of his former backroom staff at Wolves, with a majority of his previous team out of work. So, as Nuno is possibly returning to the West Midlands after holding talks over replacing his successor, what were his biggest wins whilst Wolves boss?
Nuno took one of his biggest wins whilst in charge at Molineux in his 14th match
Nuno oversaw 199 games across all competitions during his first spell as Wolves boss from 2017 to 2021. The Portuguese further led the Molineux natives to 96 wins through that time beside 46 draws and 57 defeats. Wolves also scored 283 goals to 218 conceded under him.
His Premier League record alone stood at 43 wins, 32 draws and 39 defeats with 134 goals scored to 138 conceded. While in Europe, Wolves took 12 wins to two draws against three defeats under Nuno during 2019/20 from the second qualifying round to the quarter-final.
Four of Nuno’s biggest wins in charge of Wolves also came during their path to the Europa League quarter-final. The Al-Ittihad boss oversaw seven wins by a four-goal margin during his time at Molineux. The first such instance came in just his 14th fixture in charge in 2017.
Wolves beat Burton Albion 4-0 at Pirelli Stadium to record the club’s 10th win under Nuno. Diogo Jota broke the deadlock for the visiting side with his sixth of the Championship term after only five minutes. The summer arrival would end the term with 17 goals in 44 games.
Romain Saiss also fired past Stephen Bywater after only 11 minutes to double Wolves’ lead before Ruben Vinagre hit for Ivan Cavaleiro’s second assist. Matt Doherty would feed Leo Bonatini just after the hour mark for the only goal of the second half against the Brewers.
Wolves put five past Bolton for Nuno’s first four-goal margin win at Molineux
Wolves put five goals past Bolton Wanderers in November 2017 as Nuno recorded his first win with a four-goal margin at Molineux. Centre-half Willy Boly broke the deadlock for the West Midlands side in the 13th minute as he headed home Barry Douglas’ corner delivery.
Bonatini swiftly doubled the lead as he headed home Jota’s cross past Ben Alnwick for the only other goal before half-time. Nuno had to wait until the hour mark for Cavaleiro to fire in a penalty after a foul on Saiss. Will Buckley later replied for Bolton’s first and only goal.
Cavaleiro would again get in on the act in the 82nd minute for his sixth of nine second-tier goals that season. Then Jota turned goalscorer following his earlier assist with the 25-year-old striking his ninth of the term. The now-Liverpool forward would also register six assists.
Bolton were again the victim of another Wolves mauling in April 2018
Bolton were again the victim of another Wolves mauling in April 2018 when Nuno’s squad visited the UniBol. Douglas, Benik Afobe, Jota and Conor Coady all got on the scoresheet to record another 4-0 win. Wolves would find the back of Alnwick’s net twice in either half.
Nuno then had to wait another year before seeing Wolves win by a four-goal margin after earning promotion into the Premier League. The Molineux natives’ seventh-place finish in their first top-flight term under the Portuguese put them into the Europa League qualifiers.
But like London buses, two wins by a four-goal margin came a week apart as Wolves twice thrashed FC Pyunik Yerevan 4-0. The Armenian outfit could not handle what Nuno’s squad produced, with Doherty, Raul Jimenez (twice) and Ruben Neves scoring away from home.
Pedro Neto, Morgan Gibbs-White, Vinagre and Jota would ensure Molineux witnessed the same result as the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium crowd. Although those attending the tie in the West Midlands waited until the 54th minute for the deadlock to be broken.
Wolves would go on to overcome Torino in the final qualifying round after their wins over Crusaders and Pyunik Yerevan. They would then get Braga, Besiktas and Slovan Bratislava during the group stage and ended the first proper round in style with another 4-0 victory.
The Europa League bore witness to four 4-0 Wolves wins in 2019/20
Besiktas visited Molineux for the final Group K affair in December 2019 but would be the victims of a Jota treble. The Portuguese broke the deadlock on 57 minutes with his first in that Europa League season. He then followed up with goals in the 63rd and 68th minutes.
Leander Dendoncker also found the back of Utku Yuvakuran’s net on 67 minutes during a lively burst by Wolves. Yet a defeat and draw with Braga meant Wolves finished in second. Nuno’s men trailed the Portuguese giants by a single point after taking 13 from six games.
The Europa League would then witness a fourth 4-0 Wolves win in the intermediate stage. Nuno oversaw his final 4-0 win as Wolves manager in February 2020 as the Molineux side comprehensively won their first-leg with Espanyol. And it came with another Jota hat-trick.
Jota only needed 15 minutes to open the scoring when he met Jimenez’s pass. Neves then doubled their lead early into the second half before Doherty and Joao Moutinho fed Jota. It put Wolves on course to reach the last 16, despite losing the second-leg 3-2 in Barcelona.
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