JUST IN: Tottenham Set To Name Espirito Santo As New Coach

Tottenham are closing in on the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager, according to BBC

Nuno left Wolves in May after four impressive seasons, during which time he took the club from the Championship to a Europa League quarter-final.

He has been on Tottenham's radar throughout what has become a tortuous process to find a replacement for Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in April.

Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte were both heavily linked with the job.

They were then discarded as candidates before a farcical 48 hours earlier this month when Paolo Fonseca thought he was taking over, only to be dumped in favour of Gennaro Gattuso, who was quickly rejected when fans reacted badly to the existence of social media posts which brought the Italian's commitment to inclusivity into question.

Numerous names have been linked with the job, including Ajax's Erik ten Hag and Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.

However, Nuno is now close to being appointed amid input from new sporting director Fabio Paratici, who has flown into England to complete the process.

Given the difficulties Tottenham have already experienced, few fans will believe the saga is over until an official announcement is made.

There is an urgency around the situation because players who have not been involved in major tournaments this summer are due to begin pre-season training on Monday.

Tottenham play their first pre-season match at Leyton Orient on 17 July.