Nottingham Forest have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo after 21 months in charge, ending a tenure that lifted the club from the brink of relegation to European football for the first time in three decades.
The Portuguese coach’s future had been in doubt for weeks following his admission that relations with owner Evangelos Marinakis had soured.
Forest confirmed his departure in a late-night statement, thanking the 51-year-old for “his contribution during a very successful era” and saying he would “always hold a special place” in the club’s journey.
Talks are already under way to appoint a successor, with former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou among those linked to the vacancy.
From survival fight to Europe
Nuno was appointed in December 2023 after the dismissal of Steve Cooper, with Forest languishing in 17th place. Despite a four-point deduction for financial breaches, he guided them to safety.
The following season he masterminded Forest’s highest league finish since 1995 — seventh place in the Premier League — and a run to the FA Cup semi-finals.
His side claimed memorable victories over Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City, securing European qualification at the City Ground for the first time since 1996.
In total, Nuno oversaw 73 games, winning 28, drawing 20 and losing 25.
Internal tensions
But behind the success, tensions with Marinakis and Forest’s new sporting director Edu escalated. Disputes over the club’s £196m summer recruitment, which Nuno criticised as “a wasted chance,” strained relations.
“I always had a very good relationship with the owner — last season we were very close. This season it is not so well. Everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality,” Nuno admitted in August.
Matters came to a head after last week’s 3-0 home defeat to West Ham, Forest’s heaviest under his management, leaving them 10th in the table heading into the international break.
Fans’ favourite, but time runs out
Despite the breakdown at board level, Nuno remains popular with Forest supporters, who credit him for restoring pride at the City Ground and re-establishing the club as a competitive force in the top flight.
However, Marinakis — who once confronted Nuno on the pitch after a draw with Leicester — decided change was necessary, with the club insisting a replacement will be appointed “imminently.”
For Nuno, who signed a new three-year deal only in June, the exit marks a sudden and turbulent end to what had seemed a promising new chapter in Forest’s history.