Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Football
Jonathan Bray
Topics: Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Football
Nottingham Forest fans enjoyed an excellent summer and an impressive start to the season but they could be in for a big shock just one game into the new campaign.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were the beneficiaries of a controversial decision to demote Crystal Palace from the UEFA Europa League to the Conference League this summer, and they were also able to keep hold of star player Morgan Gibbs-White after he was linked with a move to Tottenham.
To top it off, they stormed to a 3-1 win against Brentford in their opening game of the Premier League season.
However, on Friday morning, reports began emerging that despite an impressive seventh-place finish in the Premier League last term and a return to Europe, Forest chairman Evangelos Marinakis was 'considering' replacing Nuno as Forest boss.
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Spanish publication Marca and Matteo Moretto claimed that the Portuguese coach could leave the club in the coming weeks.
"Nottingham Forest is considering sacking Nuno Espirito Santo," he said.
"[There are] tensions between the ownership and the Portuguese coach, also stemming from certain signings during this transfer window."
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The BBC later echoed Moretto's claims, stating that Nuno's future is 'uncertain' after a breakdown in his relationship with Marinakis.
Nuno has now himself fuelled suggestions he could leave Forest, saying at a press conference on Friday "when there's smoke, there's fire" while also revealing that his relationship with Marinakis is "not as close".
"I always had a very good relationship with the owner, last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis," said Nuno, who only signed a new three-year contract in June.
"This season it is not so well but I always believe that dialogue is important because my concern is the squad and the season we have ahead of us. Our relationship has changed and we are not as close.
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"No, it is not good. I think everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality."
In another post on X, Moretto revealed that one of the coaches being considered for the role is former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked by Spurs in June despite winning the Europa League.
The news may come as a surprise to some, but Marinakis has been vocal about his admiration for Postecoglou in the past.
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"What I want to say about Ange is that he has spoken about Greece many times, 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, following an award ceremony in Greece 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 not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years. In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece."