Jose Mourinho
Tottenham are reportedly targeting a move for Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo should they dispose of Jose Mourinho at the end of the season.
The axe is hanging above the head of Mourinho in the wake of the team’s 3-1 home defeat to Manchester United, with a top four spot looking increasingly unlikely as Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham continue to pick up results above them.
Sportsmail understands Mourinho will lose his job if he fails to secure Champions League football for the north London outfit next season – a vital source of revenue after paying £1billion for their new stadium – and his countryman Espirito Santo has been earmarked as his successor, according to the Sun.
Espirito Santo has taken Wolves from a struggling side in the Championship to a stable Premier League team – guiding them to back-to-back 7th placed finishes in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Backed by Wolves’ Chinese owners, he has brought in some quality names – such as Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez, playing some great football along the way and earning a host of admirers.
One of those admirers is Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, the report adds, but it will cost the Lilywhites around £8million in compensation. This added to the huge pay-packet the club would have to pay Mourinho to leave his contract early, and may cause a huge headache for Levy.
Tottenham have also been linked with Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers and Leipzig’s Julien Nagelsmann, with the club facing a huge summer where star striker Harry Kane is likely to be subject of huge interest across Europe.
Spurs could still end the season with a trophy – they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on April 25 – but claiming a Champions League place looks to be more challenging.
They are six points off West Ham in fourth with seven games to go, and still have a trip to Everton and a final day clash against Leicester City to come.
Mourinho’s men have dropped a shocking 18 points from winning positions this season – second only to Brighton – with Tottenham’s 10 league defeats the most the Portuguese boss has suffered in his career.