Latest news with #NunoEspiritoSanto
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Diogo Jota inducted into Wolves Hall of Fame after forward - who played 131 times for the club - died in a car crash aged 28
Wolves have announced that Diogo Jota will be posthumously inducted into the club's Hall of Fame following his death in a car crash aged 28 earlier this month. Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, 25, were killed in the crash, which occurred in northern Spain on July 3. The Portuguese international, who was part of Liverpool 's Premier League-winning side last season, made 131 appearances for Wolves and scored 44 goals during a three-year spell at the club after initially joining on loan from FC Porto in 2017. He then moved to Anfield in a £41million transfer in the summer of 2020 after impressing as part of the side that secured European football under Nuno Espirito Santo. The West Midlands side confirmed the news via the release of an official club statement on Thursday evening. It read: 'Diogo Jota has been inducted into the Wolves Hall of Fame, in a tribute that honours both his remarkable achievements for the club and the deep impact his passing has had on the footballing world. Diogo Jota has been inducted into the Wolves Hall of Fame 💛 It's a tribute that honours both his remarkable achievements for the club and the deep impact his passing has had on the footballing world. — Wolves (@Wolves) July 17, 2025 'The Hall of Fame, which is run independently by a committee chaired by Wolves legend John Richards, has moved swiftly to make this rare and heartfelt decision, following the tragic and untimely death of Diogo and his younger brother Andre. Wolves Hall of Fame chairman and club vice president John Richards added his own statement on the matter after the news 'There is such a feeling of sadness and disbelief around this awful tragedy that we wanted to make this tribute of our own as soon as we could. 'Like everyone else, we've been stunned by events, and we remember what a wonderful player Diogo was for Wolves during that unforgettable promotion season under Nuno and our early years back in the Premier League. 'His record of 44 goals at Wolves, and then 65 at Liverpool as a Premier League title winner, speaks volumes. So many fans across the game – especially in Portugal after he helped them win the Nations League this summer – are feeling his loss deeply. We saw no reason to delay this decision. 'We hope it will bring a little comfort to those who were close to Diogo and Andre, and we trust Wolves supporters will understand that this gesture is made with real love and admiration, and also fully justified.' It comes after Wolves announced plans on Monday to Wolves have publicly shared plans to honour Diogo and Andre permanently following their passing. After Liverpool paid tribute to Jota in their pre-season friendly against Preston on Sunday, Wolves announced plans to do the same in their last home friendly before the 2025-26 Premier League season gets underway, where they will plan another tribute. The statement added: 'Diogo and Andre's passing will also be marked at two of Wolves' upcoming home fixtures - the final home friendly against Celta Vigo and opening Premier League match against Manchester City. 'The club is working closely with supporters to ensure both tributes are fitting of Diogo's legacy at Wolves, with the main commemorations planned for the Man City fixture. Full details will be shared with supporters ahead of the games.
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Wayne Hennessey joins Nottingham Forest coaching staff after retiring
Wayne Hennessey has joined Nottingham Forest's coaching staff following his retirement from playing. The former Wales international will form part of the club's goalkeeping department, working under Rui Barbosa. Nuno Espirito Santo had hinted that there would be a long-term role for Hennessey on the coaching staff when he signed a short-term deal as a back-up keeper in January. Advertisement Hennessey, 38, has been a positive influence on the players around him including Belgium international Matz Sels, who had an outstanding season — sharing the golden glove award with Arsenal's David Raya. 'He helps Matz Sels, (Carlos) Miguel and Aaron (Bott) with their work. I call the small group of goalkeepers the 'society'. Wayne is a big part of that community,' said Nuno at the time. Hennessey initially joined Forest following their promotion to the Premier League in 2022, going on to make nine first-team appearances. His last first team start for Forest was in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace in May 2023, on the final day of the campaign. The keeper has made more than 450 first-team appearances for clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace, including 187 in the Premier League. He was a key part of the Wales squad that reached the semi-final stage of the European Championships in 2016. 'I am delighted to continue my journey at the club as part of the coaching staff,' said Hennessey, in a club statement. 'I have really enjoyed working with this incredible group. This marks a new chapter in my career.' Forest's chief football officer Ross Wilson credits Hennessey for the part he has played in helping his fellow goalkeepers already. 'While his playing career speaks for itself, Wayne brings a lot to the goalkeeping group off the pitch,' said Wilson. 'Matz had a great season and he undoubtedly benefits from the support and guidance of someone like Wayne.' ()
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Nottingham Forest make Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey their No 1 target
Nottingham Forest have made Aston Villa forward Jacob Ramsey a primary summer target to bolster their squad ahead of their long-awaited return to European football next season. The 24-year-old, namechecked by Thomas Tuchel when the England manager named his first squad, has been identified at the City Ground as a player who could play across Nuno Espírito Santo's front line. Forest are looking to shape their squad for another push at a high-placed Premier League finish while also juggling the Europa League after finishing seventh last season. They have sanctioned Anthony Elanga's departure to Newcastle for £55 million and Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to sign Morgan Gibbs-White during the window. Forest's interest in Ramsey is long-standing. He played 29 times in the Premier League last season, with 10 of those appearances coming off the bench. He started Villa's win over Bayern Munich last season, although at the end of the campaign Unai Emery was rotating his squad. While Villa showed they do not need to sell players for profit and sustainability - they did not sell players on the eve of the season officially closing on June 30 - Ramsey would still represent healthy 'pure profit' on their balance sheet if a deal can be agreed for the academy product. Ramsey has previously been looked at by other clubs and it is understood that Everton and West Ham retain an interest in him, although Forest can also offer European football after their excellent 2024-25 campaign. When previously linked with clubs a potential fee has been upwards of £30 million, with Villa also in the Europa League next season and Ramsey being a valuable 'home trained' player for them and homegrown for Forest's quota. Last season Ramsey was played on the left flank by Emery when selected or off the bench, although he is also comfortable at No 10. Forest would look to bolster their squad to cope with the extra matches in Uefa competition, after a 30-year absence from European football. Brazilian pair Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha have so far arrived from Botafogo. Ramsey was a regular for England Under-21s when he was eligible, with his progress getting tracked by Tuchel when the German coach was appointed for England. 'There are some tough ones, with the likes of James Maddison, Gibbs-White and also Jacob Ramsey,' he said when he unveiled his first squad. 'I am sure that I miss out now only players who were also close. Very close calls. They were all disappointed, but it was important to bring the message in person.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Nelson Semedo is still a free agent – what will his Wolves legacy be?
Nelson Semedo remains a free agent. As long as that remains the case, there is a theoretical chance he could re-sign for Wolverhampton Wanderers. But no one at the club expects the 31-year-old to return. Instead, Wolves have been preparing for life without the man who ended last season as their influential captain. Advertisement Wolves, who offered Semedo a four-year contract towards the end of last season, have made no firm comment on the right-back's future out of respect for his service since joining in 2020. They expect, though, that in the coming weeks, Semedo will announce that he has signed a contract elsewhere. In the meantime, Wolves are looking hard for replacements. That means the time is fast approaching to consider Semedo's legacy at Molineux. It is a complicated task and it is instructive to look back two years to the time when his initial three-year contract expired. In the summer of 2023, there was a genuine debate at Wolves about whether to activate an option to keep Semedo for a further two years. In the end, the club decided to trigger the clause but the fact they considered allowing him to leave tells the story of his early time in the Premier League. There was pressure from day one, due to the fee — an initial £27.5million ($37m) from Barcelona — and the fact that he was bought to replace Matt Doherty, who had been a popular and key player in Wolves' successes under Nuno Espirito Santo. To begin with, Wolves fans were less than convinced that the significant net outlay — they recouped around half of Semedo's transfer fee by selling Doherty to Tottenham Hotspur — had brought them an upgrade. As Nuno attempted to transition from his successful 3-4-3 system to play a four-man defence, Semedo struggled to handle the defensive demands of playing at right-back in the Premier League. When Wolves reverted to playing him as a wing-back outside a three-man defence, it gave Semedo more scope to use his athleticism and fitness, but recurring defensive errors and a lack of precision in attacking areas meant his effectiveness was limited. His weakest season was his third, which coincided with the dismal start to the campaign under Bruno Lage, followed by a brief spell under Julen Lopetegui. Advertisement So when decision time arrived at the end of that campaign, it was not a straightforward call. On one hand, Semedo still had a good reputation around Europe and triggering the option in his contract protected his resale value. On the other hand, the Portugal international was one of the club's highest earners. The decision to keep him was rewarded with his best two campaigns in Wolves colours, under Gary O'Neil and then Vitor Pereira. Semedo showed his experience, making fewer defensive lapses and posing a greater threat in attack. The biggest impact, however, came out of fans' view. As Pereira arrived with the task of rebuilding a crumbling team, with Matheus Cunha's attitude being increasingly questioned and former captain Mario Lemina making clear his desire to leave, Semedo became the mortar that helped hold it together. One of O'Neil's last significant acts at Wolves before being sacked in December 2024 was to appoint Semedo as captain. When Pereira took over, Semedo kept the armband and was credited with galvanising a dressing room that could easily have been shattered following a poor run of results. His performances remained solid if unspectacular, and his influence on the team grew each week. In his five years at Wolves, Semedo was known as solid, ultra-professional and low-maintenance. In his final five months, he was regarded as almost inspirational. Still, it now feels like an official parting of the ways is just a matter of time. In the unlikely event that Semedo's move away from Wolves falls through and he returns to Molineux asking to sign the contract that has been on the table for months, the club would need to consider the optics of allowing a player to re-sign essentially because he cannot do better elsewhere. There is no doubt that Semedo enjoyed his time at Wolves and left at the end of last season on excellent terms but the club believe he had made up his mind that his future lies elsewhere. Advertisement To present a change of heart as anything other than a backup plan from Semedo would be a challenge — but it is not a quandary Wolves expect to be presented with. Despite his long influence, he is unlikely to enter the hall of fame from Wolves' Fosun era, but he will be remembered as a player who, from difficult beginnings, built an excellent reputation with fans and colleagues alike.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Elanga gone and Gibbs-White going? Nottingham Forest are ready to fight after transfer shock
After the chaos, Nottingham Forest finally got back to playing football. At the end of a bewilderingly hectic week, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo had the opportunity to take a first look at at least some of his squad in pre-season action. He might have learnt one or two useful things from a goalless draw with fourth-division neighbours Chesterfield but the events of the preceding days, rather than Saturday's 90 minutes at the SMH Group Stadium, told us more about the future of the Premier League club. Advertisement And there will be far more significant battles to fight than this one before they return to that same venue to face Monaco of France's Ligue 1 in their second warm-up game of the summer next Saturday. It might have felt telling that there was no Morgan Gibbs-White in the squad, but he was among a large group of players — those who were on international duty last month or played in the Club World Cup which concludes later today (Sunday) — who do not have to report back for training until late next week. Forest fans will still be desperately hoping they get to see Gibbs-White play for their team again, even despite Tottenham Hotspur making an offer that matches the £60million ($81m) release clause in the talismanic England midfielder's contract. It remains an unlikely prospect, albeit Forest are not ready to allow him to leave without a fight; or at least without standing up for themselves. And why not? Forest are not naive about the way these things work, but they are asking questions over how supposedly confidential details of Gibbs-White's contract were seemingly known by Spurs, who offered the exact amount required to trigger his release. Tottenham declined to comment on the matter when approached by The Athletic. The end-result of Forest's complaints to the Premier League over what they believe to be an illegal approach and their threats of potential legal action may only ultimately delay things, rather than halt them. But they do not want to be seen to allow their most influential player to depart easily, at a time when they have just reluctantly sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United for £52million. Forest are acting on a point of principle. They made a significant investment in Gibbs-White when they agreed a fee starting at £25million — possibly rising to £42m — to sign him from Wolverhampton Wanderers in summer 2022, taking a punt on the then 22-year-old fulfilling his obvious potential. He has, in truth, probably gone beyond even what they envisaged, to become a player capable of making almost every Premier League team better. Advertisement Gibbs-White's value to Forest is certainly more than that £60million and you cannot blame them for trying to protect that investment. Or, more realistically, for trying to get the best possible return on it. Those Forest fans basking in the sunshine at Chesterfield yesterday might well have needed a sit down as they tried to get their heads around the succession of events that have quickly unfolded over the past few days. Following Tottenham's bid for Gibbs-White on Thursday, it immediately emerged that Forest had revived their long-standing interest in Brentford forward Yoane Wissa. A renewed bid — which followed on from their £25million offer for the same player in January — was also rejected. But Forest are hopeful a deal can be done for the versatile 28-year-old. They also hold an interest in both Manchester City midfielder James McAtee and PSV winger Johan Bakayoko, although they face fierce competition for the latter's signature. As club captain Ryan Yates pointed out on Saturday, Forest have been through this sort of thing before, when they sold their brightest young talent, Brennan Johnson, also to Tottenham, in summer 2023. They used some of the £47.5million fee received to sign Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi in that same window. It is a cycle. Forest must rely on their recruitment team to get things right, just as they have done so many times in recent years. Losing both Elanga and Gibbs-White this summer would be a massive blow. But it could be lessened by the players who arrive to replace them in the ranks — and the names on the club's wanted list would feel like quality additions. Forest's first summer signing, the Brazilian forward Igor Jesus, of Botafogo, may prove to be in that category. Having to sell Johnson in an effort to remain on the right side of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) stung at the time. But Forest definitely managed to turn a negative into a positive. Advertisement Their challenge now will be to do so again. And amid a period that also included an unfortunately-timed kit launch and confirmation of a pre-season training camp in Portugal, Forest announced a second signing from Botafogo, in the form of highly-rated defender Jair Cunha — a promising new addition who did not deserve to be overshadowed. Then, European football's governing body UEFA ruled that Crystal Palace would not play in the Europa League they thought they had qualified for by winning last season's FA Cup but would instead be relegated to the Conference League. It meant that, pending Palace's appeal against that decision, Forest could be promoted from the Conference League play-off they earned a spot in by finishing seventh in May to the Europa League. The club have found themselves under fire from some quarters over the notion that they demanded UEFA take action against Palace over allegations the south Londoners had breached the body's rules on multi-club ownership. But Forest wanted clarity from UEFA over the situation, as they sought to discover which European competition they needed to prepare for. While it is easy to feel sympathy for Palace, Forest have been in this position themselves, when they were hit with a four-point deduction for breaching PSR during the 2023-24 season, after the deal to sell Johnson came a little too late to help them adhere to the regulations. They were adjudged to have broken the rules and suffered the consequences. Palace find themselves in a similar position now, even if they might feel victimised. As Yates put it quite succinctly after the Chesterfield game: 'It is not in our hands. We got ourselves into the Conference League. We can only wait to see how it unfolds. If we do get it (a place in the Europa League), it would be great. As players, we cannot do anything about it. We can only look forward to playing in Europe, whichever competition it may be.' Forest have returned to playing football after their summer break, but there is much to resolve off the pitch before the Premier League action begins in just over a month. (Top photos: Getty Images)
