Nuno Espirito Santo insists he wants to stay in charge of Nottingham Forest and has revealed he will hold talks with owner Evangelos Marinakis and transfer chief Edu Gaspar to resolve his future.
On Friday, Nuno poured fuel on speculation that his job was under threat, saying “where there’s smoke, there’s fire”.
In a remarkable press conference, he also said his relationship with Marinakis was “not the same” and “it is not so good as it was [last season]”, causing some within the club to seriously question the 51-year-old’s commitment to the job.
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Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett provides the latest from Nottingham Forest leadership over Nuno Espirito Santo’s press conference comments
But ahead of Sunday’s match at Crystal Palace, Nuno said he is committed to Forest and believes talks with the club’s hierarchy will put an end to the unrest around his job.
Asked by Sky Sports in his pre-match interview at Selhurst Park over whether he was trying to engineer an exit from Forest, he replied: “That’s nonsense, that doesn’t make any kind of sense.
“The state is that we are focused on the game, that’s more important.”
Questioned if he wants to continue as Forest head coach, he said: “Of course! Of course!”
Asked whether he would hold face-to-face talks with Marinakis and Edu, he responded: “Yes. That’s what we need to do, and we’re going to do it.
“Not today, of course, because it’s the match, but soon, of course.
The Portuguese added: “There’s no speculation around anything. What we have is to communicate – how we’re going to approach the final days of the market, how we’re going to approach the new season, how we’re going to prepare our boys.”
Marinakis baffled by Nuno outburst
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Sky Sports News’ Anton Toloui explains how Nottingham Forest’s head coach Nuno Espirito Santo relationship with Evangelos Marinakis has deteriorated
Sky Sports News has been told Marinakis and the Nottingham Forest bosses are baffled by Nuno’s latest comments, and there has been no intention of sacking him as the club’s manager.
Sky Sports News also understands discussions are happening behind the scenes, and it is a fast-moving situation.
Regardless of Marinakis’ obvious anger, he was keen to try to bring some kind of unity to the fore ahead of the visit to Palace.
Marinakis does not want further distractions for the squad, which he, and many others, feel is the strongest Forest have had for decades.
It is also thought to be unlikely that Nuno will resign without the prospect of a payoff.
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Nuno admits he is not as close to owner Marinakis as last season
Nuno’s comments, which sparked the current unrest behind the scenes at the City Ground, came a week after he said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports ahead of the opening game that his squad was “unbalanced” and “very, very far” from being ready for the new season.
Since Nuno said that, Marinakis has sanctioned over £118m worth of spending on four new players in the last week. That level of spending, the Greek billionaire feels, is proof that Nuno still had his full confidence and backing.
The root of Nuno’s upset is not wholly understood; however, it’s thought he has a difficult relationship with Forest’s new global head of football, Edu, who was appointed last month to oversee the recruitment strategy for Forest and the other clubs in Marinakis’ multi-club empire – Olympiakos in Greece and Rio Ave in Portugal.
Nevertheless, despite Edu’s arrival, the club structure at the City Ground and Nuno’s role have not changed.
Since Nuno took over in December 2023, while he has had a say in transfer strategy and the players being targeted, his role has been to galvanise and organise that group of players as the head coach in charge of the first team.
