Table of Contents
- Nottingham Forest announced shortly after midnight that they had parted ways with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after 21 months of working together
- The 53-year-old has been dismissed after just three matches this season due to his strained relationship with the club’s hierarchy
- Evangelos Marinakis’ right-hand man Edu Gaspar and chief football officer Ross Wilson will oversee the appointment of new head coach in the coming days
Who are the favorites to replace Nuno Espirito at Nottingham Forest? The Premier League club announced shortly after midnight that they had parted ways with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after 21 months of working together.
The Portuguese manager took charge of Nottingham in December 2023 following the sacking of Steve Cooper. He helped the club avoid relegation at the end of the 2023/24 season and took them to European football for the first time in 30 years after a seventh-place finish last season.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked by Nottingham Forest after three matches into the 2025/26 season. Photo/ Sky News.
However, Nuno will not be the one leading Nottingham as they target European glory this campaign. The 53-year-old has been dismissed after just three matches this season due to his strained relationship with the club’s hierarchy. Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis confronted Nuno at the City Ground after the match against Leicester City in May, and the Portuguese manager admitted a few weeks ago that his relationship with Marinakis had broken down.
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Marinakis’ right-hand man Edu Gaspar and chief football officer Ross Wilson will oversee the appointment of new head coach in the coming days. So, who are the favorites to replace Nuno Espirito?
1. Ange Postecoglou
With Nuno Espirito gone, the head coach vacancy at Nottingham Forest offers club owner Marinakis the opportunity to work with Ange Postecoglou. The Greek billionaire is a big fan of Postecoglou and showered him with praises earlier in the summer when presenting him with an award in Greece for leading Tottenham Hotspur to UEFA Europa League triumph.
Postecoglou is yet to find a team to manage since being sacked by Tottenham at the end of last season. The Greek-born Australian is a top manager who has led clubs such as Spurs, Celtics and the Australia national team, among others. It remains to be seen if he’ll be the one to continue Nuno’s good work at Nottingham.
Ange Postecoglou won the UEFA Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of last season. Photo/ BBC.
2. Jose Mourinho
The great Jose Mourinho is once again without a team to manage after being sacked by Fenerbahce a few weeks ago. According to Goal, Mourinho would be open to the idea of joining Nottingham if the club decides to approach him.
The self-anointed Special One has the experience needed by a club competing in the English Premier League and European football at the same time. He previously managed Premier League clubs Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur before leaving England in April 2021. He won the Premier League title three times with Chelsea and also enjoyed success with Manchester United in the Europa League — a competition Nottingham Forest will be competing in this season.
Mourinho is, without a doubt, one of the favorites to replace Nuno Espirito at Forest in the coming days considering he’s currently not tied to any club.
3. Oliver Glasner
Oliver Glasner has guided Crystal Palace to triumphs in the FA Cup and FA Community Shield despite being at the club for just one season. Even though Palace are keen on extending his contract, the Austrian has already threatened to leave the club this season.
Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner is one of the favorites to replace Nuno Espirito. Photo/ Bundesliga.
4. Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard is a name often mentioned when a Premier League club is on the lookout for a new manager. Lampard is currently leading EFL Championship club Coventry City but an offer from Nottingham could be too tempting for the 47-year-old.
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Lampard has the experience of the Premier League having previously coached Chelsea and Everton. He also helped in Chelsea’s run to the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2021, which was eventually won by German manager Thomas Tuchel.
