Wolverhampton Wanderers have identified Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso as a potential replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo at Molineux, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
Of course, any criticism levelled at the current Wolves boss requires a hearty slice of context.
The Black Country giants have been forced to battle on without their talismanic striker Raul Jimenez since November while both Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota, key players in last season’s Europa League run, were sold to Tottenham and Liverpool last summer.
That is without mentioning the injuries suffered by Jonny Castro Otto, Daniel Podence and Willy Boly, the occasional struggles of Ruben Neves, Conor Coady and Rui Patricio, not to mention Fabio Silva’s difficult debut season in English football.
Nonetheless, the fact remains that Wolves are 12th in the table. For the first time in the Nuno era, the China-backed club look set to fall short of their lofty ambitions.
And it is difficult to shake the feeling that Nuno is not quite himself either. The former Porto and Valencia boss has openly discussed the difficulties of working in a pandemic, without the comfort of his family to fall back on.
So who could blame Nuno if he decided that now was the time for a brief sabbatical?
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Wolves are preparing themselves for every eventuality, lining up Gattuso as a potential replacement.
The former Italy international is facing an uncertain future himself as Napoli struggle to keep the pace with the top four in Serie A. Gattuso’s CV, however, makes for impressive reading; it was he who put AC Milan back on the right path after a near-decade of disappointment before guiding Napoli to the Coppa Italia title in June of last year.
And if Wolves are after a coach who would shake up a drifting dressing room, who better than a human hurricane with a searing personality and an insatiable will to win?
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