Wolves open talks with Nuno Espirito Santo over Molineux return

The 48-year-old, who was sacked by Wolves just 17 months ago, is on the club's shortlist to succeed Bruno Lage, who was relieved of his duties after the defeat to West Ham.

An Express & Star poll, taken by around 3,600 people, sees 85 per cent vote in favour of Nuno making his comeback, despite a mixed reaction on social media.

Wolves have now opened talks with Nuno's representatives over a remarkable return, however Wolves are keen to assess their options and speak to several candidates before making their decision.

The current Al-Ittihad manager must now be considered a serious contender for the Wolves vacancy and it is believed he is pushing for a reunion with the club he spent four years with.

Wolves would have to pay Nuno’s Saudi Arabian employers compensation to land him, while the majority of his coaching staff from his time at Wolves are out of work and available.

Nuno oversaw Wolves’ Championship winning campaign, two consecutive seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League, an FA Cup semi-final and a Europa League quarter-final. Since leaving Wolves, Nuno had a four-month spell at Spurs but he was sacked after a spell of five losses in seven games.

In the middle east the Portuguese boss has come under fire from the fan base for dull tactics, but Al-Ittihad president Anmar Al-Haili has issued a statement saying Nuno is 'committed' to the club.

He said: "Yes, Nuno Santo has already received calls to coach Wolverhampton, but the coach is committed to his contract with us, which extends for two seasons, and he has a project here that he wants to succeed with."

Wolves have also interviewed former player, academy coach and interim boss Rob Edwards for the position.

Edwards is close to Wolves' technical director Scott Sellars and the club are big fans of the former Forest Green and Watford manager.

Although he was interviewed for the head coach position, at this stage it is unlikely he will be chosen due to his relative inexperience.

However, Wolves are understood to be interested in bringing him back to the club in some capacity, and he could form part of the next manager's backroom staff.

Wolves are considering a shake-up to their coaching system and could bring Edwards in as a permanent member of the team that would remain in place, even if Wolves sacked another head coach further down the line.

However, Edwards is attracting interest from Championship clubs and it remains to be seen if he will take a backroom staff job, after his stock has risen sharply in a short space of time as a manager.