Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked after 21 months in charge.
The position of the Portuguese coach had been uncertain for two weeks since he publicly declared his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had deteriorated.
Talks are under way over Nuno’s replacement, with an appointment imminent and former Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou a contender.
In a statement released after midnight, Forest thanked Nuno “for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground” and said he would “always hold a special place” in their journey.
The 51-year-old took charge of Forest in December 2023 after the dismissal of Steve Cooper and helped them preserve their top-flight status.
Last term he guided the club to seventh in the Premier League – their highest finish since 1994-95 – as they qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades.
His success saw him sign a new three-year deal in June.
Forest currently sit 10th in the table after suffering a 3-0 home defeat by West Ham before September’s international break.
Internal tensions with Marinakis force Nuno out
Despite the club’s success on the pitch during Nuno’s time as manager, his relationship with Marinakis became increasingly strained.
In August, Nuno revealed he feared for his job.
Internal tensions at the club were believed to centre around disagreements over their transfer business.
Previously, Nuno had criticised the club’s activity in the summer transfer window, saying they had wasted a good chance.
Edu was appointed as Forest’s global head of football earlier in the summer and has taken firm control over the club’s recruitment operation.
“I always had a very good relationship with the owner – last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis. This season it is not so well,” Nuno said.
“Our relationship has changed and we are not as close. Everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality.”
In total, Forest have made 13 signings for about £196m based on reported initial fees.
As for the outgoings, Anthony Elanga, Danilo and Wayne Hennessey were all among the players whose Forest careers ended this window.
In May last season, Marinakis appeared to confront Nuno on the pitch following a 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground.
Forest later said the incident was because of the owner’s frustration that striker Taiwo Awoniyi had continued to play following an 88th-minute injury, which subsequently required what was described as “urgent” surgery.
The club said there was “no confrontation” and it was “fake news” to suggest otherwise.
However, those missed points against an already-relegated side were part of a run that saw Forest – who had been in contention for Champions League qualification – only pick up eight points from their last eight matches of the 2024-25 campaign.
They qualified for the Conference League but were moved into the Europa League for 2025-26 at Crystal Palace’s expense after the Eagles were deemed to be in breach of multi-club ownership rules.
From the brink of the drop to Europe
Nuno became Forest manager in December 2023, with the club 17th in the Premier League and having lost five of their previous six games.
Despite Forest having four points deducted for a breach of Premier League profit and sustainability rules, Nuno still managed to keep them up with them finishing 17th, six points clear of 18th-placed Luton Town.
He won six league matches in the rest of 2023-24, including two of his first three games in charge: 3-1 away at Newcastle and then 2-1 at home to Manchester United.
But in the following campaign he took the club to seventh in the Premier League to ensure European football returned to the City Ground for the first time since 1996.
A memorable campaign saw Forest take four points off champions Liverpool, including a 1-0 win at Anfield in August 2024, and Forest also beat Manchester United home and away, and won 1-0 at home to Manchester City.
Forest also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, before losing 2-0 to Manchester City at Wembley.
Nuno was in charge of Forest for 73 games, winning 28, drawing 20 with 25 defeats.
