Nuno Espirito Santo faces an uphill battle to secure return to Wolves

Nuno Espirito Santo is facing an uphill battle to secure a dream return to Wolves with the club turning to other targets.

The Portuguese, one of the most successful managers in the history of the club, was keen on a return to Molineux despite being sacked at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

Sportsmail reported on Thursday that Nuno was open to an emotional comeback, after he established Wolves in the Premier League during his first spell and led them to the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020.

Nuno Espirito Santo is facing an uphill battle to secure his dream return as Wolves manager

But Wolves were always cautious about bringing Nuno back and while they have not completely ruled out a move, the club are keen to assess candidates who do not belong to Jorge Mendes’ powerful Gestifute agency. It is now thought that Wolves’ new manager is more likely to come from outside the Gestifute stable than within it, with an appointment possible early next week.

Wolves are keen to assess candidates who do not belong to Jorge Mendes’ Gestifute agency

Wolves are still looking for a replacement after sackign Bruno Lage nearly a fortnight ago

Both Nuno and his successor, Bruno Lage, are Gestifute clients, as are several members of the Wolves squad. When Lage was sacked earlier this month, Wolves turned for the second time to another Mendes man, Julen Lopetegui, only for the Spaniard to reject them again.

Lage was dismissed nearly a fortnight ago, leading to restlessness among supporters that a permanent replacement has not yet been secured. But after Lopetegui turned Wolves down, chairman Jeff Shi was keen to assess a range of candidates.

The new man will have a tough task on his hands. Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest, Wolves were in the bottom three and have veteran Diego Costa as their only fit centre-forward.