Nuno Espirito Santo’s job at Nottingham Forest appears to be safe for the time being, it has been claimed.
However, the Portuguese’s long-term future at the City Ground may well still be up in the air. It comes amid a rift between the Reds head coach and global head of football Edu, with owner Evangelos Marinakis tasked with sorting out the disagreement.
Rumours of Nuno being at risk of the sack emerged last Friday morning and he then suggested he felt they had some substance to them during an extraordinary press conference later that day. There was also a public admission of a deterioration in his relationship with Marinakis, although it is Edu who is said to be the main source of the manager’s grievance.
Various names have since been linked with taking Nuno’s job, including Ange Postecoglou, Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho. But according to Sky Sports, there is ‘no imminent sign’ of Marinakis wanting to axe Nuno.
On Sunday, in what seemed to be an olive branch from the Forest boss, he stated clear-the-air talks with Marinakis and Edu should take place. But it is said a meeting is yet to be scheduled.
Sky report Marinakis now has ‘a little more breathing space’ to assess how the land lies, given the Reds have a full week without a fixture. It is said next month’s international break could prove ‘crucial’ in determining what happens next.
After Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, Nuno made clear his wish to remain in charge at Forest. He dismissed suggestions he has been trying to engineer his own exit as ‘absurd’.
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However, he conceded he could not guarantee how long he will remain in post Trentside. Asked if he expected to still be in the hot seat come the end of the transfer window next Monday, Nuno said: “I cannot answer that question. But what I know is that I am working and trying to do my job the best I can.
“Of course the situation has to be solved. We are responsible people and we are going to have a good conversation to try to create, more than anything, a good platform for what is most important - the team.”
On planning to hold talks with Marinakis and Edu, he added: “Not only us three, all the club has to come together. First of all, let’s try to complete our squad - this is really important in the final days of the transfer window.
“What I think is we need to have these conversations, and we are going to have them. This is what I think is more important than anything. The players need it, the squad needs it, the club needs it, we need it. And we are going to have it.”
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