Nuno: “It’s an enormous pleasure… we’ll make our fans proud”
Wed 30 June 2021, 20:26|
Tottenham Hotspur
Nuno Espírito Santo says hard work and togetherness will be key to our progress on the pitch.
The 47-year-old has joined us as our new Head Coach after four years with Premier League rivals Wolves, where he guided them from the Championship to consecutive seventh-place finishes in the top flight and steered them back into Europe.
Nuno has spoken of his pride at joining the Club and is eager to get the best out of everyone – on and off the field.
“It’s an enormous pleasure, an honour, a joy to be here,” he smiled, talking to us under social distancing protocols while he completes a short period of self-isolation at our Lodge facility.
“Obviously we had to start meetings with Fabio (Paratici) and the Board on Zoom, from a distance, but as soon as we started speaking to each other, we felt that we are in the same line, we are in the same mindset, so it went well. I’m happy and I’m looking forward to starting work. This is what it means. We don’t have any day to lose, we must start working immediately – pre-season starts in a couple of days.”
Having a squad like Tottenham’s, you can only have one DNA, you can only think one way. We have to enjoy the game, we have to play the game.
On his philosophies as a coach and how he fits the Club’s DNA, as has previously been mentioned by Chairman Daniel Levy, he explained: “Having a squad like Tottenham’s, you can only have one DNA, you can only think one way. We have to enjoy the game, we have to play the game. When you have a squad of quality, talented players like we have, the DNA is to make the fans proud, make them enjoy watching. This is our DNA, to make our fans proud of us. There is no question about it that that will happen. We’re going to make them proud and they’re going to enjoy the team, for sure.
“Our philosophy is not only about me, it’s about staff, the coaching staff – it’s simple, we improve players, we try to make them better, to improve them every day and by that, it’s no matter which age the player is – young, old, experienced, no experience at all – it doesn’t matter. In our minds, we put the players in the middle and we see what we can do to make them better. How can we improve them? How can we find a better solution for them to make their job easier? How can we make them perform better? If we achieve that, our team will improve, our Club will improve and this is our philosophy.
“The Premier League is so tough, it’s so demanding. The best teams, the best players, the best managers are here so how do I like it? I like to compete. And to compete is not only on Saturday or Sunday, it’s every day. We have to compete every day, every training session. I like to approach not thinking about winning, but how do we win? How can we be better so we can win more times? First, let’s prepare ourselves. The competition is very close but at the same time we have time to show the players it all requires hard work – a lot of work. To compete is to be able to say in every action of our game, we have to win it. If we win each and every action, eventually we win the game, so let’s go action by action.
“Everybody around here should be in the same idea. Let’s give the best of all of us, simple as that – us, the players, the best of each one of us in every moment so we will be stronger and we will be there. This is the environment that we need, starting from the Board, to everybody in the training ground. If you generally give the best of you, the environment will be good.”
