New Delhi: Two weeks after declaring that his relationship with Nottingham Forest has deteriorated Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked after being in charge for 21 months.
The English Premier League club announced his departure on Tuesday, after the Portuguese admitted 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.
Appointed in December 2023 to take the place of Scot Cooper, he prevented Forest from getting relegated from the EPL in his first season, before guiding them to the seventh spot last season.
It was their highest finish since 1994-95 as they qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades, which led to a new three-year deal in June.
But tensions arose over transfers as the 51-year-old has been vocal in recent weeks about his frustration over player incomings as he stated that the squad was “unbalanced” and required strengthening in key areas.
The club brought in James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Douglas Luiz in recent months, while retaining Morgan Gibbs-White despite being linked to Tottenham.
Forest slumped to a 3-0 home defeat by West Ham before September’s international break and are currently 10th in the points table.
‘Special place’
“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.
When asked about his future at the club last month, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur manager had said there was “no smoke without
fire” and that he and Marinakis rarely speak.
Santos and Marinakis has exchanged words on the pitch after Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City in the Premier League. The clubs later rubbished reports of a heated confrontation between the two as “fake news”.
Forest’s next game is away in London against Arsenal on Saturday with former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou being linked to the vacant post.