Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked as Tottenham manager after just 17 matches in charge, the club announced on Monday.
The news comes after a terrible run of results for Spurs since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, including a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in which they failed to record a shot on target and Nuno was booed by his own fans. In total, Spurs won eight of Nuno’s 17 matches as manager.
Spurs also lost to London rivals Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace and West Ham United in the Premier League. They topped the Premier League in August after winning their opening three games, but the loss to United was their fifth in the league and they are now 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
Under Nuno, Spurs scored only nine goals in 10 league games, and the club have the worst goal difference (-7) after bottom clubs Norwich City and Newcastle. Nuno also struggled to get the best out of England striker Harry Kane, who had failed to negotiate a move away from the club during the close season. Kane, last season’s winner of the Golden Boot with 23 goals, has scored only once in nine league appearances this season.
“I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed, and I regret that we have had to take this decision,” said Fabio Paratici, Spurs’ managing director, football. “Nuno is a true gentleman and will always be welcome here. We should like to thank him and his coaching staff and wish them well for the future.”