Why Forest dismissed Nuno now
Nottingham Forest confirmed the departure of head coach Nuno Espirito Santo in the early hours of Tuesday. The 51-year-old, who had signed a new deal in the summer after leading Forest into the Europa League, saw his position collapse following two public criticisms of the club’s hierarchy in August.
Nuno admitted his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis was “not the same” and expressed frustration with the club’s transfer planning, describing the squad as “unbalanced”. These remarks angered Marinakis, who, after a week of reflection, concluded the situation was beyond repair.
The arrival of Edu Gaspar as head of global football further strained relations. Nuno openly admitted he had not spoken with Edu and insisted he had no regrets about making his concerns public. Marinakis, hurt by the repeated statements, decided change was necessary for the club’s progress.
Who could replace Nuno at Forest
Forest, who sit on four points from their opening three Premier League games, have yet to finalise a replacement but admire several names across Europe. Among the candidates under consideration are Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
Edu Gaspar and chief football officer Ross Wilson will lead the process of appointing the new head coach. Nuno’s final match in charge was a 3:0 home defeat against West Ham on August 31.
The club statement thanked him for his “pivotal role” in the 2024/25 campaign, a season described as “forever remembered fondly in the history of the club.”
