Nuno Espirito Santo admitted 'I will miss it' after leaving club for new challenge

Nuno Espirito Santo made a heartfelt pledge not to shed tears over his poignant departure from . The 51-year-old was at the helm of the west Midlands club for four years, overseeing their ascent to the after a six-year absence. The Portuguese manager, who just secured European football with on Sunday, achieved a historic seventh-place finish in Wolves' first season back in the top flight.

This accomplishment also led to Wolves qualifying for the Europa League, marking their first foray into European competition since the 1980/81 UEFA Cup. In his third season, guided Wolves to another seventh-place finish and a quarter-final spot in the Europa League. However, the team's performance dipped to 13th place in Nuno's final season during the 2020/21 campaign. His exit was confirmed by mutual agreement two days before the season's last match.

In what turned out to be his final game in charge, Wolves suffered a 2-1 defeat at home by Manchester United, which coincided with fans returning to Molineux for the first time that season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on his emotions post-match, he shared: "I promised I would stay strong but it was very special and emotional, I will miss it.

"[I] thanked each and every one of them for all the effort and the commitment, the help [in] tough moments [and] how we celebrated together." Reflecting on the emotional farewell he received from the club's fans, he expressed: "It means a lot, it means that football is back and this is the first game of football that we love with fans and [the] atmosphere was special."

His tenure at Tottenham Hotspur, which began that summer, was short-lived as he was dismissed after less than four months following a string of five defeats in seven matches, leaving Spurs ninth in the league by November.

He ventured to Saudi Arabia to manage Al-Ittihad but later made a comeback to English football with Forest, where he played a pivotal role in ensuring their Premier League status with a 2-1 victory over Burnley on the final day of the previous season. Forest's recent 2-2 stalemate with Leicester City has guaranteed them a spot in European competition next season for the first time since 1996, capping off an extraordinary season for the club that has twice lifted the European Cup.

Despite this success, Nuno found himself in a . He revealed that Marinakis' frustration stemmed from Taiwo Awoniyi's injury, which left the team a man down after all substitutions had been made.

Awoniyi, who entered the fray in the 83rd minute, collided with the goalpost shortly thereafter. Although he initially seemed able to continue, his evident pain eventually led to his exit from the pitch. A breakdown in communication between the medical staff and the bench meant they missed the chance to make a final substitution.

"It was due to the situation," Nuno explained. "There was a confusion over the situation of T [Taiwo Awoniyi]. "There was frustration to play 10 minutes with a player that had so much confidence and being positive that he's going to score. We made the sub, then played with one man less. That causes frustration, it's obvious."

The on-field drama sparked widespread debate, with Gary Neville openly condemning the actions of Forest owner Marinakis and even suggesting that Nuno should consider leaving the club immediately. In a post on X, the Manchester United legend posted: "Scandalous from that Forest owner. Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him! The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that."

Jamie Carragher, who was commenting for Sky Sports at the time, echoed Neville's sentiments, telling Marinakis to "get off the pitch" and branding the owner "embarrassing". Despite the clear passion Nuno has for the game, he managed to keep his composure during the incident and appears to be disregarding Neville's advice to resign from yet another Premier League position.