Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties as Nottingham Forest manager this week, but Stan Collymore doesn’t believe he’ll be out of work for long.
Despite taking Nottingham Forest from a team fighting for relegation to one about to play European football this season, Nuno was let go by the club following off-the-field issues.
The Portuguese coach had been public about the fact that his relationship with Evangelos Marinakis had changed, while he also clashed with Edu over several summer transfers, including their move for Douglas Luiz.
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Nottingham Forest fans expressed their frustration at Nuno’s sacking, but the club wasted no time in replacing him as Ange Postecoglou was named the new manager later that day.
While a lot of focus has gone on how Postecoglou will perform at Nottingham Forest, there is just as much interest on what Nuno does next as a manager given his impressive pedigree.
Nuno Espirito Santo arrives at a game for Nottingham Forest
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Stan Collymore predicts Nuno Espirito Santo will manage a Premier League team by December
Nuno might have been fired at Nottingham Forest, but there’s no doubt that his spell managing the club has enhanced his reputation massively.
Nottingham Forest achieved a lot on the pitch, and Nuno drastically improved several players, which is why Collymore took to X to praise him, and predict what might be next for him as a coach.
Nuno
9/10 for Forest, made good players superb, saw a gap in Prem style and exploited it and some. Along with being an honest, communicative and much needed leadership figure at Forest, so on a punditry level I think the timing and reasoning is awful and I'll stick to that.…
— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) September 9, 2025
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“9/10 for Forest, made good players superb, saw a gap in Prem style and exploited it and some.
“Along with being an honest, communicative and much needed leadership figure at Forest, so on a punditry level I think the timing and reasoning is awful and I’ll stick to that.
“Clubs who evolve, succeed, clubs at the whim of anyone, in the world’s hardest league, can blow up as quickly as they were flying like a comet.
“The owner of a club does ultimately what they like and I know many Forest fans like the owner’s “winners” talk and that will bear fruit.
“The Ange/Owner chat in Athens in summer when Ange received an award from the owner undoubtedly was the spark that culminated today.
“I hope Ange does well, we know his style can be naive and it’s going to take some implementation after the counter attacking polar opposite style of Nuno.
“But it’s possible and I’m sure it’ll be another exciting ride for Forest fans, just don’t expect players to adapt overnight.
“As for Nuno, a bit of Saudi or gardening leave before Wolves, Sunderland, Leeds or West Ham call the Nov/Dec managerial batphone.”
Whether or not any of those Premier League clubs comes knocking for Nuno will remain to be seen, but he certainly has the reputation of being someone who can keep a team afloat in the top flight.
Nuno Espirito Santo gives a thumbs up after a Nottingham Forest game
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Nuno Espirito Santo has admirers in Saudi Arabia
Collymore might have backed Nuno to take on a Premier League job later this year, but he won’t be short of options if he wants to get back into the game before another manager is fired in England.
Nuno has admirers in Saudi Arabia, which could provide him with an opportunity to move abroad if he wants to return to coaching immediately.
TBR Football revealed that Nottingham Forest rushed Nuno’s contract extension earlier in the summer because they were worried about the interest that surrounded him from Saudi Arabia and felt the situation could be a distraction.
Teams in the Saudi Pro League had been in “constant contact” with Nuno to try and lure him, but while he rejected offers at the time, now he’s unemployed it could be a different situation for him.