Nottingham Forest Axe Manager Nuno Espirito Santo After Just Three Games

The opening major coaching shake-up of the 2025–26 Premier League campaign has been officially announced.

Nottingham Forest dismissed Nuno Espírito Santo in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Sept. 9. The Portuguese coach arrived at Forest in Dec. 2023 and guided the club to its first European tournament qualification since 1995–96 during his sole complete campaign with the squad last season.

"Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, due to recent developments, Nuno Espírito Santo has been dismissed from his position as Head Coach today," the club announced in an official statement.

"The Club expresses gratitude to Nuno for his contributions during a highly successful period at the City Ground, particularly his impact in the 2024/25 campaign, which will be cherished forever in the club's history. As a key figure in our achievements last season, he will always maintain a special position in our story."

While it may seem like a surprising choice to dismiss a coach just three matches into the campaign—particularly one who supervised the most triumphant season the team has experienced in three decades—it appeared that Nuno's exit was inevitable.

Following an outstanding 2024–25 campaign, escalating behind-the-scenes friction caused Nuno's relationship with club proprietor Evangelos Marinakis to severely worsen, which the coach himself acknowledged during a remarkable press briefing.

Reports also indicated that Nuno experienced a significant confrontation with Forest's new global football director Edu Gaspar, who joined the City Ground after serving five years as Arsenal's inaugural technical director.

Many anticipated Nuno would be dismissed before the 2025–26 season commenced, but he remained on the sideline for the club's first three Premier League matches, collecting four points overall.

In total, Nuno departs Forest having overseen 73 matches with a tally of 32 victories, 26 defeats and 15 draws.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Forest have already identified three potential candidates to succeed Nuno, including former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou.