Ange Postecoglou returns to Premier League management with Nottingham Forest after Nuno Espírito Santo sacking

Ange Postecoglou's absence from the English Premier League has not lasted long, with the former Spurs boss being announced as the new head coach of Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Postecoglou, who was sacked by Tottenham in June, had been linked with a number of clubs across Europe.

The 60-year-old, who has won trophies with clubs in Australia, Japan, Scotland and England in his career, replaces popular coach Nuno Espírito Santo, who was sacked late on Monday after 21 months in charge.

"We are bringing a coach to the club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies," Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said in a club statement confirming Postecoglou's appointment.

"His experience of coaching teams at the highest level, along with his desire to build something special with us at Forest, makes him a fantastic person to help us on our journey and achieve consistently all our ambitions.

"After gaining promotion to the Premier League, then building consistently season after season to secure European football, we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies. Ange has the credentials and the track-record to do this, and we are excited he is joining us on our ambitious journey."

Marinakis, a Greek businessman who also owns Greek Super League club Olympiacos, has long been an admirer of Postecoglou.

The 58-year-old presented Postecoglou with an award recognising him for being the first manager of Greek descent to win the Europa League earlier this year.

"What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years," Marinakis said in June.

"In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece.

"We must thank him especially for this and we wish him well, although we are sure that he will do well as he has the ability.

"Wherever he goes, the successes will come."

Nuno out despite ending 30-year Europe drought

Forest announced its sacking of Nuno after midnight on Monday, despite the São Toméan guiding the club to a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League last season — their highest finish since 1994-95.

In a statement, Forest thanked Nuno "for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground".

Taking over in December 2023 with the club struggling in 17th place, Nuno guided the club to safety and then, the following season, into Europe for the first time in three decades.

Despite that success, the club limped to the end of the season, picking up just eight points from their last eight matches to fall out of contention for a spot in the Champions League.

In the off season, there were rumblings of discontent, with Nuno saying the relationship between him and volatile Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was "not so well".

In May last year Marinakis dramatically confronted Nuno on the pitch after a 2-2 draw against Leicester in scenes described as "scandalous" by former Manchester United defender Gary Neville.

Neville, a pundit with Sky Sports, said, "Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him" after the confrontation, although Nuno later said the argument was related to Taiwo Awoniyi playing on with what turned into a serious abdominal injury and not related to the result.

Nuno was Marinakis' seventh manager since becoming Forest's majority shareholder in 2017.

Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham in June, despite leading the club to a drought-ending Europa League title and living up to his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season.

However, the club's woeful league form, finishing in 17th place, saw the club pull the trigger and fire the Australian.

Spurs have since started this season brightly under new manager Thomas Frank, sitting fourth with two wins and a defeat.

Postecoglou will have a chance to become just the eighth manager to win the Europa League title with a second club, with Forest controversially elevated to the Europa League at the expense of Crystal Palace, who fell foul of UEFA's multi-club ownership laws and were dropped into the Conference League.

Forest will host Spurs at the City Ground on December 13 and currently sit 10th in the nascent Premier League table, having been humbled 3-0 at home by West Ham United last time out.

Click here to read article