Nuno looks certain to depart Forest and his replacement has already been chosen…
Nottingham Forest fans may have been celebrating one of their most promising summers in years, but just a single match into the new Premier League campaign, uncertainty is already beginning to cloud the horizon at the City Ground.
Supporters entered the new season full of optimism. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men benefitted from a controversial UEFA ruling that saw Crystal Palace demoted from the Europa League into the Conference League, clearing the way for Forest to take their place in Europe after finishing seventh last term. On top of that, the club successfully resisted Tottenham Hotspur’s advances for talisman Morgan Gibbs-White, ensuring that their creative heartbeat would remain in Nottingham for another year.
The mood was further lifted when Forest opened their league campaign with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Brentford, sending a strong message that they intended to build on last year’s progress. Yet, despite the momentum on the pitch, disturbing reports began to emerge on Friday morning suggesting that Nuno’s position as manager is under serious threat.
According to Spanish outlet Marca and transfer expert Matteo Moretto, club chairman Evangelos Marinakis has been “considering” replacing the Portuguese coach, less than three months after Nuno signed a new three-year contract. The tension, it is claimed, stems from disagreements over summer recruitment and an overall breakdown in communication between manager and ownership.
The BBC has since echoed those concerns, describing Nuno’s future as “uncertain” amid a growing rift with Marinakis. At his Friday press conference, Nuno himself did little to quiet speculation. The 50-year-old admitted that relations with the chairman are “not as close” as they were last season, when the pair maintained daily contact.
“When there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Nuno conceded, acknowledging the strain. “Last season we were very close. This season it is not so well. Our relationship has changed and we are not as close. No, it is not good. I think everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality.”
Such candid words have only deepened the sense that a managerial change could be looming, despite Forest’s strong results under his leadership. Nuno was widely credited for steadying the ship after his arrival, guiding the club to an impressive seventh-place finish and securing European football for the first time in over two decades.
Already, attention has turned toward possible successors. Moretto revealed via social media that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is one of the names on Forest’s radar. The Australian coach, who was dismissed by Spurs earlier this summer despite leading them to a Europa League triumph, has long been admired by Marinakis.
The Forest chairman has previously spoken glowingly of Postecoglou, pointing to his Greek heritage and his ability to deliver success in difficult circumstances. “He is proud to be Greek and, in the great success he had with Tottenham by winning the Europa League, he spoke about Greece,” Marinakis said at a ceremony earlier this summer. “A man who not only does not hide his origin but is also proud of it. What he achieved, he did with a team that has struggled for titles in recent years. In this huge success, he promoted Greece to the world.”
While many Forest fans may find it hard to comprehend the idea of Nuno being pushed out so soon after delivering European qualification, the volatile nature of Marinakis’s ownership means the possibility cannot be dismissed. A turbulent few weeks now lie ahead, with the future of one of the Premier League’s most intriguing projects hanging in the balance.