Why Nottingham Forest sacked Nuno Espirito Santo: Inside the rows over transfers, a crucial demand that wasn't met, the Edu factor and the three leading contenders to replace him

To the casual observer, sacking Nuno Espirito Santo after just three games of the season is another sign of Evangelos Marinakis’ unpredictable nature.

To those more familiar with the ebb and flow of life at Nottingham Forest , it is a miracle Nuno has lasted this long.

Ever since his extraordinary outburst on the eve of the Premier League season, when Nuno criticised Forest’s transfer policy, it has been a question of when – not if – he would leave.

At 15 minutes past midnight UK time on Tuesday, Forest confirmed Nuno’s departure with an 80-word statement, attributing his sacking to ‘recent circumstances’. It is not hard to work out what those ‘circumstances’ were.

Nuno’s recent behaviour had many at Forest wondering if he was trying to be sacked. If so, he has his wish.

Ange Postecoglou , who left Tottenham over the summer, is among the candidates to replace Nuno with the club keen to make an appointment before the weekend trip to the Australian's old rivals Arsenal .

Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked as Nottingham Forest manager early on Tuesday morning

Nuno's sacking by owner Evangelos Marinakis has been coming after his recent actions

Marinakis has always rated Fulham boss Marco Silva highly while Crystal Palace chief Oliver Glasner was one of the final two contenders, along with Nuno, when Steve Cooper was sacked in December 2023.

Given the animosity between Palace and Forest, that would be quite the move.

Only last week, Nuno visited La Storia restaurant in Nottingham with his staff to celebrate the arrival of Joao Lapa, who had joined the coaching team during the off-season. He still expected to meet Marinakis to discuss the way forward during the current international break. Those talks never happened.

Though the 3-0 home defeat by West Ham before the international break weakened Nuno’s hand, the seeds of his departure were sown when former Arsenal midfielder Edu Gaspar, who had quit as the Gunners’ sporting director in November 2024, was appointed Forest’s global head of football on July 7.

Remarkably, that was just 17 days after Nuno was handed a three-year contract, and had been in the works for some time. Something, somewhere, has gone badly wrong.

Last season, Nuno had been the second-most powerful figure at Forest after Marinakis, and the pair shared a productive relationship for much of the campaign. Now, as Nuno saw it, Edu had been brought in above him.

Regardless of the tense personal rapport between the two, Nuno was always going to struggle to work happily in this revamped structure.

Daily Mail Sport understands that certain signings, like Omari Hutchinson and Douglas Luiz, were recommended by Edu but not specifically requested by Nuno.

Former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is among those in the running to succeed Nuno

Nuno has clashed with Edu (centre) who arrived as Forest's Global Head of Football in July

Hutchinson, the club-record signing at £37.5million, was then left out of Forest’s Europa League squad last week, while Luiz has yet to leave the bench.

It is also thought Nuno was less than impressed by Cuiabano, the defender who on deadline day became the third player signed from Botafogo this summer alongside Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha, only for him to return to Brazil on loan three days later.

All summer, Nuno had wanted Adama Traore, who he had coached at Wolves, to replace Anthony Elanga, while demanding proven cover at full back and in goal.

But Forest wondered at the wisdom of approaching Fulham for Traore, who turns 30 in January, and it was unclear whether the player even wanted to come.

Forest grew puzzled by the mixed signals Nuno was sending. Towards the end of last season, Nuno had requested two players competing for each position, to challenge in domestic and European football. Yet when Forest started to deliver this, Nuno appeared uneasy.

The 51-year-old has always preferred to work with a small core of players who know their roles – some definite starters, others who were back-ups. Managing 22 players who all believe they deserve to be in the starting XI is something outside Nuno’s comfort zone.

Despite the strong connection between Nuno and Marinakis last season, Daily Mail Sport can reveal Forest first started to have doubts about Nuno as far back as spring 2024, as he was leading them to a nervy survival.

After a draw with Wolves towards the end of that season, the Forest top brass discussed whether to sack Nuno on the spot. Though they stuck with him, players were canvassed discreetly for their thoughts on his management style – never a good sign for a boss.

Club record £37.5m signing Omari Hutchinson was left out of Forest's Europa League squad

Douglas Luiz was also a signing recommended by Edu and he is yet to play a minute for Forest

It is a good job Forest did give Nuno another chance, as 2024-25 was one of their most memorable seasons since the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s.

From a disparate squad lacking spirit that stood on the brink of the relegation zone, Nuno fashioned a near-unbreakable unit that spent much of the season on track for Champions League football and reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

His subtle interventions, like encouraging players to stay longer at the training ground and ordering staff to create more communal spaces for them, were a masterstroke. For that year alone, he should always be a hero for Forest fans.

Yet even though Nuno was given a new deal, there were doubts about whether he was tactically agile enough to turn Forest from a defence-and-counter team into one who could control the ball.

Even towards the end of last season, when Forest’s form faltered, it is believed certain players were growing a little weary of the low-possession style. Was the underdog approach really going to make Forest fulfil Marinakis’ dreams – trophies and regular European qualification?

For all Nuno’s complaints about Forest’s summer transfer plan, they committed more than £200million on new players, outspending Manchester City and Real Madrid. Most of the managers outside the Premier League’s ‘big six’ would swap their bench with Forest’s.

There were also doubts about Nuno’s judgement of players and situations. The push to renew Morgan Gibbs-White’s contract following a bid from Tottenham was driven by the ownership, not Nuno.

It is also believed Nuno was initially unconvinced by the £35m signing of Elliot Anderson from Newcastle in summer 2024. Now, thanks in no small part to Nuno’s coaching, Anderson is one of the most valuable midfielders in England and has a World Cup place in his sights.

Nuno led Forest to their most memorable season since the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s

But Marinakis has now moved on and the Greek billionaire has big dreams for Forest

Anderson is good enough to thrive under any coach but it will be fascinating to see how the next man – Postecoglou, Silva or another – handles this group. As Nuno’s replacement tries to bed in, the spotlight will shine a little brighter on Edu.

Edu is thought to have distanced himself from the Forest training ground so as not to make Nuno feel uncomfortable, but one of his strengths at Arsenal was his ability to provide a link between the squad, the coaching staff and the ownership. He deals well with players, too.

But his role across Marinakis’ clubs – Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave, in Portugal – has yet to take shape fully. If Edu can work effectively with a new coach and make his ideas function across the club, there is no reason why Forest cannot repeat the successes of last season and continue to move upwards.

Forest simply have to make sure this relationship is fruitful. Otherwise, they may be looking for another coach before they know it.