Arsenal: Nuno Espirito Santo an excellent coach

Arsenal are reportedly pursuing Nuno Espirito Santo as a replacement for Unai Emery. The Wolves head coach is a brilliant manager who would instil a well-drilled work ethic into a currently confused and helpless group of players.

As the fortunes of Arsenal have spiralled out of control in recent weeks, the gaze of the fanbase and footballing world has shifted away from what the future of Unai Emery might be to when he will be sacked and what the club will implement to replace him.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Can we talk about something else?

This shift in focus is telling of the difficulties of the team, as well as the sense of hopelessness that is currently pervading through the corridors at the Emirates. Put simply, there is no belief that Emery can right the ship and, collectively, staff, fans and others have begun to dream of what the club might look like under new direction.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

On Tuesday night, a blockbuster report from Steve Stammers and Sami Mokbel in The Daily Mail provided some information on what that new direction might be: Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

Their reporting claims that Arsenal have set their sights on Espirito Santo as head of football Raul Sanllehi leans into his contacts, specifically super-agent Jorge Mendes, of whom Espirito Santo is a key client. There are plenty of reasons to be cautious regarding the decision-making process here, but from a purely footballing perspective, Espirito Santo would be an excellent hire.

Some fans have expressed concern with his record prior to his work at Wolves, as well as his defensive nature and worrying record against lesser teams, but in comparison to the positive impact he has had in the Black Country, these niggling doubts barely move the needle.

Espirito Santo is adored at Wolves, more so than a normally successful coach is. He was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Wolverhampton, is wonderfully endeared to and entwined with the supporters, speaks of his love and adoration for the club, city and fans on a regular basis, and is a part of the fabric of the club and community.

And there is good reason for this close relationship. Espirito Santo led them to a brilliant promotion from the Championship in his first season in charge, then brought them into the top half of the Premier League, now has them playing European football, all the while showing that a team like Wolves really can challenge the mighty English teams — they have played Arsenal three times since their promotion are still yet to lose.

He has also achieved this success by implementing an extremely well-drilled and well-executed system. Using either a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 shape, Wolves are a wonderfully cohesive side. Each player understands their individual roles and how they fit into the collective unit, while Espirito Santo has built a system that the whole club is unified in their support of.

Espirito Santo might not be the flashy, European name that some fans were hoping for. He might not be the risky but thoroughly exciting Mikel Arteta. But he is a damn good coach, and Arsenal could do a whole lot worse.