Nottingham Forest have announced the departure of Nuno Espírito Santo, with a Champions League winner among the early front-runners for the job.
As soon as Espírito Santo revealed that his relationship with Evangelos Marinakis was fractured, it felt as if the writing was on the wall for the Portuguese manager who had brought tremendous success to the Reds on the pitch.
It then became clear that Nuno had fallen out with Edu over the summer, seemingly leaving Marinakis with the choice of backing his manager or his new global head of football.
Nuno has bitten the bullet in the end, though, with names already touted as potential replacements at the City Ground.
Head coach Jose Mourinho of Fenerbahce
Photo by Oguz Yeter/Anadolu via Getty Images
Jose Mourinho named as potential Nuno Espírito Santo successor
Heading into the international break, it had been repeated numerous times that Marinakis, Edu and Nuno would have talks to solve the situation, which clearly didn’t clear the air.
Forest need a new manager, then, and with the pull of the Europa League as well as a squad full of talent, high-profile figures are being linked with the role.
More on Nuno Espirito Santo's departure, which is expected to be confirmed soon.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been considering a change ever since Nuno made public their breakdown in relationship. Edu's arrival a big factor, with Nuno falling out with him over the… pic.twitter.com/dzY0XEzzFs
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) September 8, 2025
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According to Ben Jacobs, former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is a “leading candidate” for the position, with Marco Silva of Fulham also in the frame.
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The highest-profile name in the hat is evidently Jose Mourinho, though, who was recently dismissed by Fenerbahce over in Turkey.
Having won both the Premier League and the Champions League, Mourinho does still carry a level of gravitas with him, but in the early stages, it seems that Postecoglou would be the most likely to land the role.
Ange Postecoglou has been linked with Forest already
Clearly wanting another crack at the Premier League, it’s thought that Postecoglou would be keen on the Forest job, fresh off the back of the Europa League triumph with Tottenham.
However, Forest fans weren’t keen on Postecoglou when he was first linked with the role when Nuno initially discussed his relationship with Marinakis, so it depends on whether the Reds owner is willing to risk upsetting the fanbase to appoint a manager he clearly admires.
What makes the links even more interesting is that Postecoglou was in the running for the Bayer Leverkusen job, which has since been filled by Kasper Hjulmand, leaving Forest as the Australian’s best option for a return to the dugout.
Undoubtedly, the coming days will see plenty of hats thrown in the ring, so it will be interesting to see if any interested managers would drop Postecoglou down the shortlist.