Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has overseen a remarkable rise up the Premier League table this season, with the Reds finishing in seventh place.
However, things might have turned out even better had Forest managed to get more than the eight points they obtained from the final eight matches of the campaign.
The Champions League was within touching distance for the Reds, and a victory over Chelsea on Sunday would have earned a place in the top five and seen Forest collect the riches of that competition.
Espirito Santo has been praised by Alan Shearer for his efforts this season but now there is a sense that it might not be enough for Evangelos Marinakis, given how lofty his ambitions for the club are.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Ian Wright shocked by Nuno Espirito Santo claim
Espirito Santo will naturally be gutted not to have made the Champions League with Forest, and there is definitely a sense among the fan base that an opportunity has been missed.
However, when everything dies down and Forest stop hurting from Sunday’s defeat, the general sense will be one of immense pride at what has been achieved by the football club this season.
Wright is one of the nation’s best pundits, and he’s now thrown his full support behind Espirito Santo and believes he should be allowed to continue the job which he’s started at the City Ground.
He was genuinely shocked when Darren Lewis, who writes for The Mirror, suggested that he might be sacked this summer and admitted that he hoped the Forest boss would be allowed to stay.
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He said on The Kelly and Wrighty Show: “You have to wonder, then, how a manager like Nuno gets to the next level. If he’s done everything that he’s done with Forest up to this point.
“He’s come in after the managers that they had, he’s stabilised everything, he’s got this style of play that’s very effective with Forest. It works for them. The system they play it works for the players that Forest have. Okay, they’ve come up short, but why would you not then give him the backing and say, right next season is the one where we can kick on again?
“How does Nuno go again if he gets sacked by an owner? I’d be very, very disappointed if that was the case.”
Nuno Espirito Santo deserves to lead Forest in Europe
The Reds will be disappointed for a few weeks as the curtain comes down on the season, but when the players return for pre-season, the reality will set in that European football awaits them.
Nobody expected Forest to get into Europe this season and as a result, the club are way ahead of the trajectory when it comes to positioning themselves in the mix for annual success.
Wright is a huge fan of Murillo, and he’s often had Forest’s back this season. His comments on Espirito Santo make perfect sense, and the hope will be that the head coach remains in place.
The big challenge for Forest now is to build on the success of the current campaign and ensure that these achievements can become common ground for the Reds in the years to come.