Nottingham Forest might have ended the season in disappointing fashion, but on the whole, Nuno Espirito Santo will take a lot of pride from the campaign.
Forest made history on several occasions across the season and have now qualified for the UEFA Conference League, which gets underway with a two-legged play-off in August.
The Reds missed out on the Champions League after losing on the final day to Chelsea at the City Ground. A win would have given Forest entry to the elite club competition in European football, with Newcastle and Aston Villa both losing.
In the aftermath, there have been discussions over the future of the Forest head coach. Alan Shearer has defended Espirito Santo, with Ian Wright also fighting the corner of the boss.
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
How Evangelos Marinakis feels about Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo
Espirito Santo has been linked with a Forest exit, although those reports did feel somewhat loose given that they came about before Sunday’s crunch clash against Chelsea.
According to The Telegraph, however, Marinakis is extremely satisfied with Espirito Santo, and furthermore, it’s claimed in the report that talks over an extension to his contract are now advancing.
Espirito Santo has been with Forest since December 2023, with the Portuguese boss replacing Steve Cooper and eventually leading the Reds to Premier League survival in his first season.
Now, it remains to be seen when Espirito Santo will put pen to paper on his new contract, with fans likely to be keen to see him remain at the club and continue the superb work that he’s now started.
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The head coach’s methods towards the end of the season came under scrutiny, with his in-game management in particular drawing some complaints from the supporters at the City Ground.
However, the head coach has proven in the past that he’s got solid tactical acumen and with the right additions to the squad, the belief will be that Espirito Santo can help Forest improve even further.
It’s vital that Espirito Santo retains the backing of Marinakis as in tandem they’ve done great things for Forest and after the successful period of Cooper, it’s important that stability remains a common factor.
After losing out on the Champions League in such heartbreaking circumstances, next season can’t come soon enough and it’s definitely positive that talks are advancing to keep Espirito Santo in place.