Nottingham Forest sack Nuno Espirito Santo after ownership rift; Postecoglou reported to be frontrunner

Nottingham Forest dismissed manager Nuno Espirito Santo early Tuesday, the club said, ending a reign that produced the club’s first European campaign this century after an escalating rift with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

The club thanked Nuno for a "very successful era" but said he had been "relieved of his duties following recent circumstances." The sacking came three games into the Premier League season and followed public comments by both the manager and the owner that exposed tensions over transfers, structure and authority at the City Ground.

The breakdown of the relationship became public after Nuno said last month that his relationship with Marinakis was "not so good" and criticised aspects of Forest’s transfer strategy. Club sources and media reports said the Portuguese coach also struggled to work within a new structure after former Arsenal executive Edu was hired as global head of football in July. Omari Hutchinson, the club-record signing, was left out of Forest’s Europa League squad in a move that reportedly placed Nuno at odds with his employers.

Owner Marinakis appeared to attempt public damage control at the Europa League draw in Monaco at the end of August, saying, "We have a solid relation. Of course sometimes you can be nervous, we can say one thing, we can say another, but what counts at the end of the day is the real relation between me and Nuno." Two weeks later, the club issued the early-morning statement confirming Nuno’s dismissal.

The immediate on-field trigger for the decision is thought to have been a 3-0 home defeat to West Ham United at the end of August, a match attended by Marinakis. Club sources and reporting described that result as a final straw following a pattern of disagreement between manager and ownership.

People close to the club described an ownership style that has driven repeated tensions. One aide to Marinakis was quoted describing a culture of certainty around the owner, saying, "Mr Marinakis doesn't make mistakes," a remark offered as a vignette into the relationship between the ownership group and the football staff. Other former and current staff told media outlets that the environment at the club can be highly managed and intrusive, with even routine matters drawn into the owner’s orbit.

Those close to the situation described frequent micro-management, where decisions ranging from transfer targets to minor operational matters were subject to owner or senior-aide sign-off. One senior football figure said the environment had reduced his role to obsessing over small operational details. Former Forest manager Steve Cooper previously expressed frustration with working under Marinakis’ regime and was sacked in December 2023 after earlier giving a public ultimatum that temporarily won him support.

Despite the friction, there was no shortage of evidence that Marinakis’ investment and recruitment have transformed the club on the pitch. Forest reached the FA Cup semi-final in April and qualified for European competition for the first time in decades. The squad includes internationals such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, Brazilian defender Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, players brought in under Marinakis’ ownership and the club’s recruitment team. The owner’s appointment of Edu from Arsenal as global head of football was widely seen as a coup and a sign of the owner’s contacts and commitment.

The fallout from Tuesday’s decision is likely to focus on how Forest balances short-term results with the long-term stability required to build on recent progress. Plans to expand the City Ground and the club’s on-field momentum point to opportunity, but the pattern of rapid managerial change raises questions about sustainability.

Reports from British media on Tuesday said former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is the leading candidate to replace Nuno and could be confirmed within 24 hours. Postecoglou, who left Spurs in June after winning the Europa League, is reported to be poised to bring members of his coaching staff if appointed. Marinakis has previously spoken warmly of Postecoglou and praised the Australian manager’s achievements.

Forest now face a busy week and a potential managerial handover ahead of a Premier League trip to Arsenal on Saturday. The club did not disclose details of the dismissal process or any compensation arrangements in the statement.

The sequence of events at Nottingham Forest highlights the tensions that can arise when a highly involved owner seeks rapid progress while imposing structures that can conflict with managerial authority. For supporters and the squad, the immediate concern will be maintaining performance during the transition while the club prepares for the coming fixtures and the demands of domestic and European competition.

The club statement offering thanks to Nuno did not include quotes from the manager. He is expected to consider his next steps as clubs across Europe monitor the market for managerial appointments.