A huge twist has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur's pursuit of Nuno Santo...

What's the word?

The 47-year-old is believed to be the front-runner for the vacant manager's role at the North London outfit, with recently-appointed Fabio Paratici thought to be 'pushing hard' to secure him.

However, chairman Daniel Levy is thought to have major doubts about the former Wolves boss for numerous reasons, according to ever-reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold.

In a recent article, he wrote:

"Paratici wants Espirito Santo and had him on his list of potential candidates to replace Andrea Pirlo at Juventus, along with Gattuso. Talks with the Portuguese have reached an advanced stage and he could be appointed next week, ahead of the club's July 5 pre-season start date, if the green light is given.

"However, Levy is still believed to be undecided over appointing the former Wolves boss, concerned that some have compared his style to his compatriot Mourinho's, and most of all there is fear over the reaction the chairman will get from the fans at the first home game of the season against reigning champions Manchester City, particularly if such a difficult first game is lost."

Fans don't want him!

Whilst this would pose yet another worrying setback in this arduous process, it's one that will go down well with the Spurs faithful as many in N17 do not want the Portuguese coach appointed.

Levy and co have been dealt blow after blow over mooted targets ever since sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April, with many names appearing to be close to being hired, only for the move to fall through at the 11th hour.

Initially, names like Bayern-bound Julian Nagelsmann and Leicester City's Brendan Rodgers were linked as Tottenham's top targets before both were quickly ruled out.

And then came discussions with former Premier League winner Antonio Conte but both parties abandoned talks over concerns about one another. There was even a chance for Mauricio Pochettino to make a sensational return to the club but Paris Saint-Germain were not letting that happen.

Spurs were left back at square one following breakdowns in moves for Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso and that made Nuno a very clear candidate for the role, seeing as he's available after he left Wolves by mutual consent only last month.

However, much of the Lilywhites faithful have been totally against the former goalkeeper and that had led to a similar social media campaign to stop him from being appointed, just like they did with the controversial Italian but more about his playing style rather than his sordid past.

Gold even makes reference to this in his latest update on the situation, claiming:

"The fans have not been as opposed to Espirito Santo as they were to the Gattuso talks, for different reasons. However, there is still an clear air of disappointment over a two-month long search, taking in such exciting names only to come around to a manager who has been free and available since May and has been linked with teams such as Crystal Palace and Everton."

Furthermore, in reaction to the initial reports to Nuno, fans deemed it "embarrassing", called for Paratici to be sacked and even claimed it was "worse than expected", as relayed by This is Futbol.

All in all, it means the latest doubt from Levy will come as encouraging news for many in North London as it means there's a chance that the chairman vetoes the move instead of approving it - if so, many will be buzzing as they simply do not want Nuno as their next manager.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting Spurs transfer claim...