Nuno Santo named new Nottingham Forest coach after Steve Cooper sack

Nuno Espirito Santo has been named the new manager of Nottingham Forest after a dramatic 24 hours at the City Ground.

Former manager Steve Cooper was fired by the Tricky Trees on Tuesday, after winning just one of his last 13 games in charge. Cooper was a fan favorite.

Although supporters could be heard singing his name in recent clashes with Wolves and Tottenham, Evangelos Marinakis’ outfit pulled the trigger on his immediate future at the club.

Forest confirmed in a statement that Nuno “will take charge of his first training session with the squad on Wednesday morning as they prepare for Saturday’s Premier League fixture when The Reds host Bournemouth at The City Ground.”

Nuno has been out of work for nearly a month and a half after being fired as manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, but he arrives with plenty of Premier League experience.

He spent three-and-a-half seasons in the Premier League after leading Wolves to promotion in 2017–18 and impressing with his side’s attractive style of play. He will join Tottenham for the first few months of 2021–22.

While Nuno’s time at Wolves set him up well as an upcoming manager in the English game, the unfortunate end to his time in north London may have given Forest fans pause.

Nuno’s Tottenham side was built on a back five and played arguably defensive football that left a lot to be desired, especially given the club’s attacking talents in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

His time at Al-Ittihad ended after a 2-0 loss in the Asian Champions League to Iraqi side Al-Quwa Al-Juwiya, who boasted the likes of Karim Benzema, Fabinho, and N’Golo Kante.

Details of a private spat with Benzema were revealed, with the manager claiming the Ballon d’Or winner was not putting in enough effort to track back.

According to reports, Benzema questioned whether the Portuguese manager could take the project forward in the Saudi Pro League, though this was not mentioned in any official statement.

He joins a club that is aiming to finish in the top ten of the Premier League after narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship last season.

Forest, on the other hand, are currently just five points above the relegation zone, having suffered nine defeats in their first 17 games of 2023–24.