Despite an unprecedentedly successful last season for Nottingham Forest, manager Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that his relationship with the owner Evangelos Marinakis has become strained, stating in his press conference that their relationship is “not the same” as it was last season.
That being said, with recent matches coming up against Crystal Palace and West Ham United, Nuno looks set to maintain his position.
But what has led to this escalation in tensions between manager and owner, and what does this mean for Nottingham Forest?
Could Nuno Leave His Nottingham Forest Post?
Nuno, who was formerly manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, was appointed by Marinakis’ Nottingham Forest in December 2023 as the club found itself in a relegation battle.
Moreover, at the time, Forest had been awarded a four-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
Despite this, Nottingham Forest stayed up in the final game of the season. Albeit, in order for the Tricky Trees to go down, they would’ve had to lose by a significant scoreline with Luton, who ended the season in 18th, having to win by a large scoreline.
In the summer transfer window, the club invested well. 21-year-old Elliot Anderson joined from Newcastle United for a fee of £35 million. Serbian centre-back Nikola Milenković joined the club from Fiorentina for £12 million. Forest also signed Sosa from Talleres, centre-back Morato from Benfica, and Jota Silva from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes.
The club started their Premier League campaign brightly, going unbeaten in their first five matches. This included a 1-0 win away to eventual Premier League champions Liverpool.
By Christmas, the Tricky Trees were sitting fourth in the Premier League, behind Arsenal, who were runners-up the previous season.
This form continued, as by the end of March, the club was sitting third in the league, just four points behind Arsenal with just nine games remaining of the season.
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Start of Nuno’s Tensions With Nottingham Forest’s Heirarchy
That being said, in the final few league matches of the season, their form dropped, losing to Aston Villa, Brentford, and Everton, with their only win in a six-match streak coming against 17th-place Tottenham.
Nuno’s Forest would clinch European football after a 2-2 draw against already relegated Leicester City in their penultimate home match of the season, though this form, alongside a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on the final game of the season, positioned the club in seventh.
This would award the club a position in the UEFA Conference League after Crystal Palace won the FA Cup, though they would switch competitions with the Eagles in controversial fashion due to UEFA’s rulings on multi-club ownership.
Despite their success, finishing 10 places higher than they did in the season prior, after the draw against relegated Leicester City at home, owner Marinakis would confront Nuno on the pitch.
Since then, speculation has arisen regarding their relationship, although it has become apparent that their relationship has deteriorated, with Nuno stating that “it is not so good as it was [last season].”
Albeit, Edu, who was formerly Arsenal’s Technical Director from July 2019 and then became the club’s first Sporting Director in November 2022 until his resignation in the middle of 2024, has seemingly escalated tensions, with the club director reportedly blocking a transfer target hugely admired by the manager.
In a press conference at Selhurst Park after his side’s 1-1 draw away to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace on Sunday in the second game of the season, the Tricky Trees manager refuted claims that he was forcing an exit away from the club. Albeit, it is unknown how much longer Nuno will continue to manage Nottingham Forest.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date: 24.08.2025