Nuno Espirito Santo has been released of his duties by Nottingham Forest ahead of the resumption of the Premier League season. Santo has been sacked after just 13 months into his job with reports emerging about his deteriorating relationship with the club's owner being the primary reason.
Santo took charge of Forest in December 2023 after the dismissal of Steve Cooper and helped them preserve their top-flight status. The Premier League club released a statement in which it said, "Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espirito 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."
Why was Nuno Espirito Santo sacked by Forest?
As per Sports Illustrated report, Nuno signed a new contract with the club despite the job being unsafe. However, he did have tension with club owner Evangelos Marinakis. Marinakis, who also owns Greek champion Olympiakos, is known in soccer as a big personality with strong opinions on how his clubs are run.
The Portuguese had criticised Forest’s offseason transfer activity saying that the club was wasting a good chance to develop.It was also reported that Nuno had a major clash with Forest’s new global head of football Edu Gaspar, who landed at the City Ground after spending half a decade as Arsenal’s first-ever technical director.
How is Nottingham Forest doing currently in the Premier League?
The 51-year-old coach last season led Forest to seventh place in the Premier League with the club securing a place in Europe for the first time in 30 years. Currently, Forest is 10th in the Premier League standings with a win, a draw and a loss ahead of this weekend’s game at third-place Arsenal.
Overall, Nuno leaves Forest having managed 73 games with a record of 32 wins, 26 losses and 15 draws.According to Fabrizio Romano, Forest already have three candidates in mind to replace Nuno, including former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou.
