Express & Star

Could Nuno swap Wolves for Crystal Palace?

Former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has emerged as a shock contender to become the new manager of Crystal Palace.

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Nuno Espirito Santo (right) shakes hands with former Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson

Reports over the weekend claimed Palace are ready to offer the 47-year-old a swift return to the Premier League as Roy Hodgson’s successor.

Hodgson stood down at the end of the season after four years at Selhurst Park, where he helped to firmly establish the club in the top flight.

It is claimed they now see Nuno as the man to help them take the next step.

The Portuguese boss won promotion from the Championship and took Wolves to the quarter-finals of the Europa League during a four-year stay at Molineux.

Though his departure earlier this month was officially by mutual agreement, it is believed to have been instigated by the club as they look to move in a fresh direction.

Nuno, who is unlikely to be short of offers following his success at Wolves, has also been linked with the vacant post at Italian giants Lazio.

Whether a move to Palace, who finished one place below Wolves in 14th spot in the Premier League table, would appeal isn’t clear. The south London club, who have a number of senior players out of contract, are also considering moves for Barnsley boss Valerian Ismael and Swansea’s Steve Cooper.

Former Wolves winger Matt Jarvis has, meanwhile, announced his retirement at the age of 35.

Jarvis spent five years at Molineux between 2007 and 2012, making 175 appearances. A mainstay of the team which won promotion to the Premier League as champions in 2009, he became the club’s first player since Steve Bull to win a senior England cap when he came off the bench in a friendly against Ghana in March, 2012.

After leaving for West Ham in a £7.5million deal that summer, Jarvis also played for Norwich and made nine appearances during a loan spell at Walsall. He had spent the past season in the National League with Woking.

Announcing his decision on social media, Jarvis wrote: “After 18 years as a professional footballer I now feel it is the right time to retire from the game I love.

“It was never going to be an easy decision and I shall miss everything about it, the training, the banter, the competitive desire to win but most of all the atmosphere on a matchday from start to finish. The fans cheering and that winning feeling after a game which everyone can enjoy from player to staff to fans.

“As a kid I could never have envisaged being able to say I played in the Premier League for eight years, gained promotion as champions from the Championship, enjoyed numerous seasons in the Championship and League One and also fulfilled a boyhood dream of representing my country, which was such a huge honour.

“I would like to thank all the coaches, backroom staff and managers from youth team level all the way through to my latest club Woking. They instilled the belief and tactical nous I needed.”