Nottingham Forest have sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday, after the Portuguese admitted last month that his relationship with the club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis had broken down.
“Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espirito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as Head Coach,” the club said in a statement.
Nuno, appointed in December 2023, guided Forest through a relegation battle in his first season, before exceeding expectations in the 2024-25 campaign.
Forest spent several weeks in the top three last term and finished seventh after their best top-flight campaign in three decades. They qualified for this season’s Europa League, their first participation in a European competition in 29 years.
“As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey,” the club added.
British media reported the sacking earlier on Monday.
The 51-year-old former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur manager was given a contract extension until 2028 in June, but cracks in his relationship with the club’s ownership had begun to show despite the promising results.
At a press conference last month, he addressed speculation over his future at the club, saying there was “no smoke without fire” and that he and Marinakis rarely speak.
Following a 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester City in May, Greek shipping magnate Marinakis stormed onto the pitch and exchanged words with Espirito Santo.
Forest subsequently dismissed reports of a heated confrontation between the two as “fake news”.
Nuno was also vocal in recent weeks about his dissatisfaction with Forest’s transfer business, stating that his squad needed strengthening as it was “unbalanced” and required players in key areas.
The club have signed James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Douglas Luiz in recent months, while also managing to keep hold of midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White amid reported interest from Tottenham.
Forest suffered a 3-0 home defeat against West Ham last month and are 10th in the standings. They travel to face Arsenal on Saturday.
