Tottenham either is close to appointing Nuno Espirito Santo as its next manager, or isn’t

Depending on which Italian football journalist you’re paying attention to, Tottenham Hotspur are either very close to appointing former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as its next head coach... or not. In the wake of England’s emphatic 2-0 win over Germany in the EURO 2020 Round of 16, a result that featured a late Harry Kane clincher which sent an entire nation into something near delirium, here come Gianluca DiMarzio and Fabrizio Romano to ruin everyone’s day by providing somewhat conflicting information.

First, here’s DiMarzio, who says that Fabio Paratici is back in London to officially assume his director of football duties and get Nuno to sign on the dotted line.

That’d be good news for people who have made their peace with Nuno and the superagent Jorge Mendes to whom Nuno is shackled, or those who just want this whole managerial saga to end already, dammit. Despite one super-sketchy Turkish media source that implied that Nuno was ready to sign with Fenerbahce, that’s seemingly been where things have been heading over the past few days.

But then here comes Fabrizio Romano, swinging in on a vine with a big ol’ NOT SO FAST, MY FRIENDS:

So two leading voices in Italian football transfer rumor mongering say that either Spurs are close to signing Nuno, or they aren’t! Neat! Super great messaging, guys.

Over the past few weeks and since the appointment of Paratici, I’ve gradually assumed a position that’s basically “DiMarzio or it didn’t happen” with regards to Italian transfer rumors. Not sure if that’s a wise course of action or not, but it certainly keeps me from shifting my attention to every rumor that comes out of Tuttosport, Sky Sports Italia, or Corriere dello Sport like a hyperactive child. So I’m inclined to say DiMarzio probably has the right of it here.

On the other hand, the radio silence from the Tottenham camp over the past few days makes me actually think that Spurs may be kicking the tires of a manager currently still playing in the EUROs, which leads me to wonder if Roberto Martinez might be a finalist as well.

Guess we’re gonna find out, huh? Probably within the next 7-10 days, amirite? God, I have a headache.