Nuno Espirito Santo has spoken out about a break in relationship with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis this week.
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Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has been linked with a sensational return to the dugout at Nottingham Forest after a sudden rift between Nuno Espirito Santo and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Nuno admitted that his relationship with Marinakis was ‘not good’ this week ahead of his team’s trip to Crystal Palace in Premier League action on Sunday. That comes after the manager had been outspoken with criticism of how Nottingham Forest had conducted their transfer business this summer.
It’s now claimed that Nuno could be dismissed from his role even before Sunday’s match against the Eagles. Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett believes that the manager will have to walk himself if that is the case but, in any situation, his future is in jeopardy.
Ange Postecoglou linked with Nottingham Forest job
On Friday, the reporter wrote on social media platform X: “Excl: Marinakis and #nffc bosses baffled by Nuno’s words - there was no intention of sacking him. But those words have caused some to seriously question his commitment to the job, feeling he may be trying to get sacked. Now a real possibility Nuno may not be in charge for #cpfc.”
Already, names of managers who could replace the current Nottingham Forest boss are doing the rounds online and an early frontrunner is former Spurs boss Postecoglou. The 59-year-old is named as a contender by The Daily Mail in what would be a head-turning return to the league following his sacking in north London.
The Aussie is likely to be raring to go following his time away from the dugout. Even before his premature departure from Tottenham Hotspur, he had made it clear that he wanted to stay at the club with his ‘season three is always better than two’ quip.
Postecoglou is yet to speak out on those links but was more than happy to share a fondness for Nottingham Forest last season. Prior to both fixtures against the side, the Spurs manager heaped praise on the work of Nuno and how Forest performed last term.
Prior to Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 defeat at The City Ground on Boxing Day, Postecoglou gave his stamp of approval to Marinakis’ transfer dealings. He said: "I think when they went up to the Premier League, it seemed like there was a lot of transfer activity at Nottingham, I think there needed to be, but within that you could tell they had recruited some quality.
“It was just a matter of allowing that to sort of settle in and I guess finding the right way forward in terms of how they play, and since Nuno's got in from the back end last year, you could tell that, you know, they were all sort of now playing in a way I think that suited them.
“The team's growing all the time. They've got some quality players in there and they're having a really good season, particularly at their place, it's going to be a great challenge for us."
Ex Spurs boss labels Forest progress as ‘brilliant’
Nottingham Forest also got the better of Spurs in north London, claiming a 2-1 win under the lights in April. In his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou labelled the opposition as ‘brilliant’ and ‘consistent’.
He said: “Brilliant. Exciting. I think they’ve always had the quality in the team but since Nuno’s got there, they’ve come up with a game plan that suits the players they have.
“They’ve been really consistent with their approach and obviously they’ve got massive motivation like I said, it looks like the Champions League spots are going be very, very competitive in these last few games and I’m sure that’s something that they want to be a part of next year. So it’ll be a good test for us.”
In other news, 'Here We Go': Crystal Palace and Tottenham £42m transfer hijacked by Premier League rival.