Former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho has previously admitted that he believes Nuno Espirito Santo is ready to step up to the challenge of managing a "bigger club," amid reports linking him with the job in north London.
According to a report by Sky Sports, Spurs are currently locked in talks with the 47-year-old about the prospect of him replacing Mourinho as the club's new head coach.
Spurs, who will start the 2021/22 Premier League campaign at home to Manchester City, have been on the hunt for a new boss for more than two months after deciding to sack Mourinho following a run of indifferent results. Since then, a whole host of names have both been linked with the job and been close to taking it, but no deal with any of the contenders has come to fruition.
But, according to Sky Sports, Nuno has now become a 'strong contender' to land the role, as options that Spurs can turn to are beginning to run out.
However, if Spurs are to enjoy a successful round of talks with the former Wolverhampton Wanderers chief and he lands the job, Mourinho would give his seal of approval on the decision, previously admitting that his fellow countryman is up to the task of taking the reins of a bigger club, with no disrespect towards Wolves being meant.
"I think he was a good keeper, but I think he’s a very good coach,” Mourinho said back in February last year. "So I really think that he’s doing fantastic work.
"We are in a generation where sometimes coaches get jobs and nobody knows why. In this case it’s just about his work.
"Work and work and work and prove how good he is and prove that in my opinion, I hope the Wolves fans and board forgive me, but I think he has conditions for bigger and I hope one day the bigger comes because he is doing fantastic work."
Although Nuno opted to leave Wolves at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, which was slightly underwhelming for the Midlands outfit, he enjoyed no shortage of success during his time at Molineux.
Appointed as head coach ahead of the 2017/18 season, Nuno guided Wolves to the Championship title in his first season in charge, before guiding them to back-to-back top-seven Premier League finishes, an FA Cup semi-final and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2019/20.
Admittedly, expectations will be higher in north London for the former Valencia chief, but he has proven that he can bring success to clubs, something Spurs will be desperate for if he lands the job.
Should he be offered the role by Levy, it would be the fifth club that he has taken charge of during his career, previously spending time at Rio Ave and Porto, alongside spells at Valencia and Wolves.
