Nuno Espirito Santo SACKED as Nottingham Forest manager just three games into new season

But shortly after midnight on Tuesday, a club statement confirmed he was out.

"Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as head coach," a brief message on the Forest website reads.

"The Club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club.

"As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey."

Last season, the Reds finished seventh, earning a place in the Europa League — their first European campaign since the mid-1990s following UEFA's decision to boot Crystal Palace out of the tournament.

That turnaround was remarkable given the club had only narrowly avoided relegation the year before, collecting 32 points and surviving with the help of a points deduction elsewhere.

Behind the scenes, further complications emerged.

According to The Athletic, Nuno’s working relationship with Edu - the former Arsenal technical director appointed in July as Forest’s global head of football - became strained almost immediately.

Edu has been tasked with building a long-term football structure at the City Ground, but the pair were said to have clashed over recruitment and strategy.

That discord has coincided with a shaky start to the new campaign.

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Forest have taken just four points from their opening three games, suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat at West Ham in their latest outing.

Nuno himself warned before the season began that preparations had not been good enough, describing the situation as a “major problem” and admitting the squad were “very, very far from where we should be.”

The contrast with last season could not be starker.

Forest not only doubled their points tally from the previous year but also spent much of the campaign in the Champions League places, before fading in the final weeks.

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Ultimately they fell just short of the top five, finishing six points behind Manchester City in third.

For supporters, those months offered a glimpse of a return to the glory days, when Forest were regulars in European competition under Brian Clough.

Now, however, the club faces yet another managerial reset.

If Nuno does depart, it will mark Forest’s third permanent head coach in less than two years, underlining the instability that has plagued their Premier League return.

The challenge for Marinakis and his board will be to ensure continuity at a time when the demands of domestic football and a looming Europa League campaign could easily overwhelm a fractured squad.

For Nuno, whose reputation was enhanced by guiding Wolves into Europe earlier in his career, his short but eventful tenure at Forest may still be remembered fondly by supporters.

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Yet his candid warnings about the club’s direction, and the evident breakdown in relationships at the top, have now left him on the brink.

Former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been linked with the role. Who ends up coming in at the City Ground remains to be seen.