Nuno Espirito Santo has left his position as Nottingham Forest head coach with Ange Postecoglou a leading candidate to replace him at the City Ground.
The Athletic reported on Monday that Nuno was set to leave, before the club confirmed his departure “following recent circumstances”.
Postecoglou is on a Forest shortlist to be their new head coach, having parted company with Tottenham Hotspur in June — weeks after leading the club to the Europa League trophy but having overseen a 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
Nuno’s exit comes after the Portuguese said his relationship with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis had changed and the two were “not so close” anymore on August 22. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis then said, however, that Nuno was the right person for the job on August 29.
“I have always had a very good relationship with the owner, last season was very, very close, almost on a daily basis,” Nuno told a press conference. “This season, not so well.”
The Athletic reported later on August 22 that there was a potentially irreparable rift between Nuno and Edu, who was newly-appointed as global head of football at the start of July following his exit from Arsenal last November.
Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as Head Coach.
The Club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at The City Ground, in particular his role in the… pic.twitter.com/catCyeaeR4
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 8, 2025
Postecoglou has been out of management since being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in June. The former Celtic boss’ dismissal came just two weeks after leading the north London club to a first major trophy in 17 years with victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final.
However, the club finished 17th in the Premier League, and their total of 22 losses was the most of any team not to be relegated in a 38-game season.
Nuno was appointed Forest head coach in December 2023 and led the club to qualification for Europe during his first full season in charge. Forest finished seventh in the Premier League during 2024-25, having spent significant time in third position.
However, he voiced his concern over the club’s preparations for the 2025-26 campaign ahead of their first game of the season, stating Forest had a “major problem” and were “very, very far from where we should be”.
Forest were 17th in the Premier League following a run of just one win in 13 matches when Nuno was appointed Steve Cooper’s successor. They finished the season in 17th, one place and six points above the relegation zone, after being handed a four-point deduction following a breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
The following campaign, Nuno’s side picked up 65 points, more than double their tally (32) from 2023-24, and finished just six points behind third-place Manchester City. Despite missing out on a top-five finish which would have secured qualification for the Champions League, Forest did clinch a return to European football — with a place in the Europa League, following Crystal Palace’s demotion to the Conference League — for the first time since 1995-96.
Postecoglou ended Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a trophy in May (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The full statement from the club, posted on their social media, read: “The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at The City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024-25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club. As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.”
Forest have collected four points in their opening three Premier League games this season, most recently losing 3-0 at home to West Ham United.
Additional reporting from David Ornstein
(Top photo: Jon Hobley | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
