Nottingham Forest

Jose Mourinho has reportedly emerged as a surprise contender to become the next Nottingham Forest manager, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s future at the club in doubt.

TEAMtalk can also confirm two names that Forest have looked at amid the reported feud between Nuno and the Tricky Trees’ Global Head of Football, Edu, formerly of Arsenal, and the club’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis.

On Friday morning, shock reports claimed that Nuno was about to be sacked, despite the success he achieved with Forest last term, and the club’s 3-1 win over Brentford last weekend.

Forest denied the rumours, but in a major twist, Nuno added to the speculation in a press conference. “There is no smoke without fire – I know how things work,” the manager said.

“It’s not good. I always had a very good relationship with the owner. This season, not so well – our relations have changed.

“The reality is that it’s not what it used to be. It used to be a good, respectful relationship, based more on trust and sharing opinions, and now it’s not so good.”

And in another twist, Sun Sport claim that Jose Mourinho, is one of the names on Forest’s replacement shortlist…

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The report claims that Mourinho, who is a serial winner having led his various clubs to winning 26 major trophies, and currently manages Turkish giants Fenerbahce, has been ‘tipped to return to the English game’, suggesting Forest could be his next destination.

One person who is definitely on the shortlist is Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked by Tottenham following a 2024/25 campaign in which Spurs won the Europa League but had a woeful Premier League season, finishing 17th in the table.

Sources confirmed to TEAMtalk correspondent Fraser Fletcher yesterday (August 22) that Postecoglou is one candidate Forest have looked at amid the uncertainty surrounding Nuno.

Fletcher has also been exclusively told that Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is another manager on Forest’s shortlist.

Rodgers, 52, led Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title last season, and has experience in the Premier League from his previous stints with Liverpool and Leicester City.

TEAMtalk understands that Rodgers has admirers at the City Ground.

‘Nuno’s position is by no means safe’

As things stand, Nuno is set to take charge of Forest’s away fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

However, journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that there is a chance of the Portuguese being relieved of his duties even before that.

“As of Friday night, Nuno Espirito Santo is expected to take charge of Nottingham Forest’s game against Crystal Palace on Sunday,” Jacobs posted on X.

“But, his position as manager is by no means safe in what is proving an evolving situation. A rift has developed between Nuno and Edu, with the arrival of the ex-Arsenal sporting director resulting in less direct contact between owner Evangelos Marinakis and Nuno this summer.

“In particular, Nuno was unhappy Edu didn’t sign Fulham’s Adama Traore, although unclear how easy a deal was to actually pull off earlier in the window.

“Despite a high volume of business, some of which Nuno drove, there is a feeling the club’s new approach to recruitment, including establishing a bigger squad to cope with domestic and European demands, isn’t one the Forest boss is comfortable with, and hasn’t been for several weeks.”

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