Ange Postecoglou is poised to take charge at Nottingham Forest following the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sought a swift replacement after axing Nuno and has already settled on his choice following discussions with the former Tottenham head coach. Nuno received his marching orders in the early hours of Tuesday morning with a brief statement released citing “recent circumstances” as the rationale.
The Portuguese tactician had clashed with Marinakis and global head of football Edu and has been shown the door just three Premier League matches into the 2025/26 campaign, with Forest occupying 10th position. The 51-year-old had been at the helm since December 2023 and steered the club to a seventh-place Premier League finish last term to secure Europa League qualification.
He penned a fresh three-year deal in June, but tensions over their transfer activity following the summer arrival of former Arsenal supremo Edu eventually sealed his fate.
Postecoglou has remained unemployed since Tottenham dismissed him at the conclusion of last season and was consistently Marinakis’s preferred option.
Despite his Australian upbringing, Postecoglou’s Greek ancestry resonates with fellow countryman Marinakis, alongside his expansive footballing philosophy and Europa League achievements at Spurs. Forest are set to face Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off, and Marinakis has acted swiftly to ensure a new manager is in place for the match.
Postecoglou, who has been on the lookout for a new role since leaving Spurs, held discussions with Marinakis during the international break.
His readiness to immediately take on the role was a significant factor in him beating Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho to the position. Rodgers is in his final contract year at Celtic amidst some backstage tension, while Mourinho has been available since being dismissed by Fenerbahce on 29 August.
Despite mentions of Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola, Mauricio Pochettino who manages the United States men’s national team and Fulham’s Marco Silva, they were not seen as feasible options due to the quick turnaround required.
Postecoglou will have to navigate a tense situation at Forest following the acrimonious departure of Nuno, who cast doubt on his own future in August by stating ‘no smoke without fire’ amid rumours he could be sacked, making it abundantly clear that he was dissatisfied.
His main issue was the change in dynamics following the arrival of Arsenal’s former sporting director Edu, who clashed with the existing structure of chief football officer Ross Wilson, technical director George Syrianos and head of recruitment Pedro Ferreira.
Nuno was left disgruntled by the sluggish pace of their summer transfer dealings, and even more so by the eventual arrivals. The acquisitions of Douglas Luiz and Omari Hutchinson were both orchestrated by Edu, bypassing the manager, who had been vying for the signature of Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes, who ultimately signed with West Ham.