Across the Channel, Nuno Espirito Santo, head coach of Nottingham Forest, openly acknowledged the difficulties his team is facing. On August 15, during his first press conference on the issue, he labeled the situation a “big disaster.” It was an astonishing admission coming during a stretch of underwhelming campaigns. Those battles in the end made the club fight by season’s beginning, necessities. What was startling about Nuno’s remarks was the urgency that came through his comments. He stressed that the group was “extremely, extremely far” from accomplishing what they wanted to accomplish.
Despite ongoing discussions about his future at the club, Nuno faced mounting pressure as reports surfaced regarding his position being under threat. On August 22, he sought to clear up that increasing speculation. As he said of the investigation, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” deepening the drama surrounding his position. He said regarding his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis, things are different now. That paints a troubling divide that may deeply impact his tenure in the role.
Recent Matches and Transfer Window Demands
On August 24, Nuno’s side earned a respectable point in a 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace. Even with this result, many fears for the team’s fate remained. Following the game, he again stressed the need to attract new reinforcements in January’s transfer window. He had demanded at least another goalkeeper and two full-backs to strengthen the squad. As a result, his requests were considered and listened to with the utmost respect by the club’s management.
Nottingham Forest acted swiftly to address Nuno’s demands, successfully acquiring two full-backs and a goalkeeper on Deadline Day, September 1. This decision was a bold reaffirmation of the club’s faith in their manager. Instead, they first try to build a healthy squad and up their “points per available player” score.
Communication with Marinakis and Future Aspirations
When August turned to September, Nuno went out of his way to demonstrate that he desired to continue as head coach. He’s looking forward to being part of the club’s success. On August 31, he even admitted to having spoken directly with Marinakis. He signaled his readiness to address the past wrongs and join everyone in a collaborative way into the future. Marinakis publicly supported Nuno during this time, asserting that he was the “right man for the job” and claiming that “everything is solid” between them.
Support from owner Marinakis isn’t enough to secure Nuno’s fate at Nottingham Forest. Just days later, on September 8, the club made the shocking decision to part ways with him as head coach. The sudden sacking followed months of underwhelming results and constant rumors about his job status.
After Nuno’s departure Nottingham Forest ran into even worse luck. They sacked Ange Postecoglou on October 18 after he was unable to muster a single victory in eight games. Now the club’s management is under new pressure. What’s more, they are desperately trying to find some form of stability and direction buried in all this chaos.
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