Nottingham Forest sack manager Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou leading candidate for replacement

Nottingham Forest has sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo following a public breakdown in his relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis.

With the position now open, former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has emerged as a leading candidate to take over at the City Ground.

The British media has reported that the club would announce Espirito Santo's departure on Tuesday.

Advertisement

READ MORE: Manly legend reveals sheds blow-up with 'selfish' DCE

READ MORE: Haas lifts lid on family 'chaos' in emotional interview

READ MORE: 'I'm so sorry': Sabalenka's awkward live TV gaffe

The decision to sack Nuno came after a 3-0 home defeat to West Ham United on August 31, just three games into the new Premier League season. Forest has earned four points from those matches and sits 10th on the table.

Espirito Santo, appointed in December 2023, guided Forest through a relegation battle in his first season, before exceeding expectations in the 2024-25 campaign.

Forest spent several weeks in the top three last term and finished seventh after their best top-flight campaign in three decades. Their surprise finish secured them a spot in this season's Europa League following UEFA's ruling on Crystal Palace.

The 51-year-old former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur manager was given a contract extension until 2028 in June.

Still, cracks in his relationship with the club's ownership had begun to show despite the promising results.

Postecoglou is the clear frontrunner to take over the job.

Football's new home, Stan Sport, is the only place to watch the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Emirates FA Cup, WSL, European Qualifiers, J.League, NSWL, K League and FA Cup

In June, Postecoglou was fired by Tottenham just weeks after leading it to the Europa League title, which ended the club's 17-year silverware drought.

Despite the side's triumph, which also secured Champions League qualification for this season, the main reason cited for Postecoglou's dismissal was the club's disappointing domestic campaign.

Tottenham finished the 2024-25 Premier League season in 17th place after losing 22 of their 38 matches — the most losses by any side to avoid relegation to the Championship.

After an intense two years at Tottenham, Postecoglou has taken a break to consider his next move.

Postecoglou has reportedly turned down an offer to take over at leading Turkish club Fenerbahce.

Adding to the speculation around Postecoglou is his personal connection with Marinakis. The Forest owner, a Greek businessman, has publicly stated his admiration for Postecoglou, who has Greek background.

Earlier this year, Marinakis presented Postecoglou with an award in Greece, praising his achievements and his work in promoting the country on the world stage.

Should Postecoglou arrive at Forest, he could be joined by Scott Munn, who was most recently his chief executive officer at Spurs.

Click here to read article