With Nottingham Forest set to fire Steve Cooper, Nuno Espírito Santo is expected to take over as manager. The former head coach of Spurs and Wolves is in advanced discussions to take over at Forest, which sits 17th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone, despite having only one win in their previous 13 games.
Nuno is unemployed as a result of his dismissal from Al-Ittihad, a Saudi Arabian club, early in November, just months after he won the championship there. His miserably short 17-game stint at Spurs, which concluded in November 2021, was his most recent Premier League position. Prior to that, Nuno, a customer of Jorge Mendes’ agency, guided Wolves into the top division and maintained them there for three seasons.
After six games, five losses, and one tie, Forest has made the decision to bench Cooper. Cooper made it through a humiliating 5-0 loss at Fulham and a 1-1 draw at Wolves this month, but with a 2-0 home loss to Tottenham on Friday, Forest has taken action. The team’s lone victory since early September came on November 5 at home against Aston Villa.
Additionally, Forest had discussions with Oliver Glasner, the former manager of Eintracht Frankfurt, who indicated a desire to accept the position. However, Glasner was not as forward-thinking as Nuno in the eyes of Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis. Though conversations with the former Wolves manager did not advance, Julen Lopetegui was on Forest’s radar.
Since he was promoted through the playoffs in May 2022, Cooper has been on the verge of being fired multiple times. He seemed to be kept in his position by strong supporter backing, but as the fan base grew more divided regarding his future, Marinakis determined a change was required.
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