‘Spurs will not mess about’ – Paul Merson paints bleak future for Nuno Espirito Santo

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has admitted that he is concerned about Nuno Espirito Santo’s future at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Portuguese took his Tottenham side to the Emirates on Sunday for his first taste of a Premier League North London derby since taking over as head coach in the summer and would have left with a nasty taste in his mouth after watching his side having been dominated by the Gunners in a comfortable 3-1 loss.

Merson claimed that another such performance from Spurs could result in Daniel Levy deciding to pull the plug on the 47-year-old’s brief spell in charge.

Arsenal found themselves 3-0 up by the half time break with Merson left of the opinion that the Tottenham players were not playing for their manager.

After winning his opening three Premier League fixtures, it has been a complete reverse following the resumption of the campaign after the international break with Spurs having suffered losses at the hands of Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Tottenham are back in action this evening when they host NS Mura in the Europa Conference League and will also welcome Aston Villa to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Merson told Sky Sports: “Spurs were playing like that (counterattacking) last season, but no one was in the crowd, so they could get away with it.

“I’ve always liked Nuno and thought he would get a top job, but there are ways of getting beat at football and those players were not running through a brick wall for him on Sunday. And that is where the worry starts…

“This (the north London derby) is the fans’ game, the be all and end all and it does not matter how good a manager you are, you can be the best manager in the world, but it is all about the players – do not let anyone tell you it is all about the manager.

“If the players want someone out, they are out – one more game like that and Nuno is gone, Spurs will not mess about, they can’t have that.”

SpursWeb Opinion

It is not often I agree with Paul Merson, but on this occasion he is absolutely right. It would be hard to believe that Daniel Levy will stomach many more performances as to what we witnessed at the weekend, especially when it looks as if some players are not rolling up their sleeves for him.

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