Nuno Espirito Santo was always a coach who tended to shy away from the limelight. And, when hearing that he had been named March’s Manager of the Month in the Saudi Arabian Pro League this week, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss wasted little time in deflecting the praise onto his players instead.
“Being the best coach is because of the players,” Nuno smiled graciously. “How they work and how they do things.”
It would be churlish, however, for Nuno to suggest that those on the pitch deserve all the credit for what is quickly turning into a memorable season at Al-Ittihad.
In their last nine games, Al-Ittihad have been on the winning side eight times. They thrashed Al-Fateh 5-1 away from home last time out, maintaining their one-point lead over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr at the top of the Pro League table.
Nuno has lost only one of 21 league games since taking over. And, even if Al-Ittihad do fall short in their pursuit of the title, the 49-year-old Portuguese will still have a piece of silverware to show from his time in the Middle East. Al-Ittihad claimed the Saudi Cup earlier in 2023.
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No wonder Al-Ittihad are hoping to tie Nuno down to a new and improved contract (Akhbaar 24).
Leeds United big fans of former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo
A 2018 Championship champion with Wolves, the one-time FC Porto goalkeeper had an interview with Leeds United back in February following the sacking of Jesse Marsch (Times). He was, The Athletic add, keen on a return to Premier League football.
And while there is a £5 million release clause in his Al-Ittihad contract, that’s unlikely to put Leeds United off. The Yorkshire giants, after all, were reportedly willing to pay almost double that to take Andoni Iraola, once a student of Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao, away from La Liga high-flyers Rayo Vallecano.
Perhaps, if Nuno finishes his debut season at Al-Ittihad with a league and cup double, he will feel the time is right to move on, having achieved what he went there for in the first place. And Leeds, depending on what happens regarding Javi Gracia’s own future, may be waiting to welcome Nuno back to familiar surroundings with open arms.
In other news, Dean Jones claims Spurs could target Paul Mitchell to replace Fabio Paratici
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