Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has praised Tottenham manger Mauricio Pochettino and insisted he cannot be judged on trophies.

Spurs’ lack of spending was questioned in the summer after they failed to sign anyone while Wolves have now shelled out more than £70million after they completed the £16million deal for Rui Patricio this week.

Pochettino has still guided Tottenham, who are still playing at Wembley after delays in the redevelopment of White Hart Lane, to their best Premier League start and Nuno revealed his admiration ahead of Saturday night’s game at Molineux.

“Success cannot be measure with the number of titles. The how is very important,” he said.

“Tottenham are very competitive. What I admire is what I see on the pitch and I see a very good team.

“I know him and I admire him. The quality of the work they’ve been doing is amazing.

“I know they are very strong opposition. We are conscious we are going to face one of the best teams in the league. There’s no doubt about it.

“The quality of their manager, their squad, the players who have been in the club for a couple of years. The routine Tottenham have is very strong. We have to be ready for it.”

Wolves had never previously suffered back-to-back league defeats under Nuno, while they have scored just three goals in their last five games.

They have also only beaten Spurs twice in their last 14 meetings – doing the double in 2009-10.

But Nuno, who has taken Wolves to 10th, remains confident his side can bounce back following losses to Watford and Brighton.

He said: “They know how tough this league is. Every game is very hard, there’s no need for a warning, it’s fact. We have to be ready. What happens is the past, let’s look at the future.

“Practice, repeat, adjust, find solutions and work on it. That’s the only recipe.
When you practice you don’t just practice the physical part, you work on the mental part.”

Diogo Jota is sidelined, although the manager refused to reveal the forward’s problem.