Nottingham Forest sacks boss Nuno Espirito Santo after 21 months in charge, just three matches into the current season.
The Portuguese manager’s future had been uncertain for two weeks following his public admission of a strained relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Discussions about his successor are ongoing, with former Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou among the candidates.
In an official statement released after midnight, Forest expressed gratitude to Nuno “for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground,” adding that he will “always hold a special place” in the club’s history.
Nuno began managing Forest in December 2023 after Steve Cooper was let go and played a key role in maintaining their Premier League status.
Last season, he led the team to a seventh-place finish—their best since 1994-95—securing European football for the first time in 30 years. This success earned him a three-year contract extension in June.
Currently, Forest are positioned 10th in the league after a 3-0 home loss to West Ham prior to the September international break.
Despite the team’s on-field success, tensions between Nuno and Marinakis worsened, particularly around transfer strategies.
In August, Nuno openly admitted concerns about his job security. Conflicts reportedly revolved around disagreements on player acquisitions, especially after Edu’s appointment as the club’s global head of football who took strong control over recruitment.
Nuno noted that his previously close relationship with the owner had cooled, saying, “Everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality.”
This summer, Forest made 13 signings reportedly costing £196 million, while some players like Anthony Elanga, Danilo, and Wayne Hennessey departed.
An incident last May saw Marinakis confronted Nuno on the pitch following a 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
The club clarified this was due to the owner’s frustration over striker Taiwo Awoniyi playing through an injury that later required urgent surgery, dismissing claims of a confrontation as false.
Despite having been in contention for Champions League qualification, Forest ended the 2024-25 season poorly, earning only eight points from their last eight matches.
They qualified for the Conference League but were elevated to the Europa League for 2025-26 after Crystal Palace was disqualified due to multi-club ownership violations