Report: Nuno was on back foot from day one at Spurs after assistant refused to join

The Athletic have revealed that Nuno Espirito Santo was severely handicapped from day one at Tottenham Hotspur as Rui Pedro Silva, his assistant at Wolves, did not follow him to Spurs.

Nuno ended up lasting just four-month and ten Premier League games at the helm of Tottenham, with the Portuguese coach being relieved of his duties on Monday.

The Athletic have now provided an inside account of all the things that went wrong for the former Wolves boss at North London from the day he arrived.

It is explained that due to the length of his contract and the fact that he was not anywhere close to the club’s first-choice, there was always a distinct feeling that Nuno was a stopgap, with the players also sensing that feeling.

The report adds that Nuno expected his Wolves assistant Silva to join him at Tottenham along with fitness coach Antonio Dias, goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa and rehab coach Joao Lapa.

However, Silva and Lapa did not join with him while Ian Cathro, who was also part of his staff at Wolves, did arrive.

It is explained that Silva, who was Nuno’s No 2 at Wolves for four years, was extremely vocal in the dressing room, in contrast to Nuno’s more reserved communication style.

So, the fact that Silva pulled out of Nuno’s team at the last minute is said to have affected the 47-year-old’s ability to communicate with the players and build a relationship with them.

The former Valencia boss reportedly did not engage in any small talk or chit-chat away from the training pitch. Some dressing room sources even allegedly described him as being ‘distant’, ‘uncommunicative’ and having ‘zero charisma’.

Spurs Web Opinion

While Pochettino and Mourinho have completely different man-management styles and tactical approaches, both of them are arguably two of the most charismatic personalities in the game. So, they would certainly have not been easy acts for Nuno to follow, especially with his trusted assistant pulling out at the last minute.

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