Nuno Espírito Santo’s position as Nottingham Forest boss had been uncertain for two weeks since he publicly declared his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had deteriorated
Nottingham Forest have sacked Nuno Espírito Santo after his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had soured.
The Portuguese coach had only been in charge at the City Ground for 21 months, guiding Forest to seventh in the Premier League last term – their highest finish since 1994-95. However, his position as head coach had become uncertain in recent weeks after the 51-year-old publicly declared his relationship with Marinakis had deteriorated.
And The Tricky Trees last night dismissed Santo, acknowledging he had “a very successful era at the City Ground”. Former Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is already tipped to replace Santo, according to reports today.
A statement from the club reads: “Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as Head Coach.
“The Club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the Club. As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.”
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Santo, a former goalkeeper, took charge of Forest in December 2023 after the dismissal of Steve Cooper and helped them preserve their top-flight status. Last season, they qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades.
The club have won one, drawn one and lost so far this campaign, with the victory coming on opening day against Brentford. A 3-0 home loss to West Ham United, though, saw City drop to 10th in the table before the international break.
Santo only signed a new three-year deal in June, following last term’s success. However, his relationship with Marinakis became increasingly strained during his tenure. During the summer, the head coach had said: “I always had a very good relationship with the owner – last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis. This season it is not so well. Our relationship has changed and we are not as close. Everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality.”
Disagreements over their transfer business reportedly led to the most recent issues. Previously, Nuno had criticised the club’s activity in the summer transfer window, saying they had wasted a good chance.
And, despite securing a flurry of arrivals late in the summer transfer window, such as James McAtee and Igor Jesus, Santo still got the chop on Monday. A search for his replacement is underway ahead of Forest’s game against Arsenal on Saturday.