Nuno Espirito Santo 'leaves Nottingham Forest' with statement imminent

Nuno Espirito Santo has reportedly left Nottingham Forest just three games into the new Premier League season, with a statement expected shortly from the club. The Portuguese head coach and club owner, Evangelos Marinakis, have seen their relationship become fractured in recent weeks, and the former Wolves and Tottenham boss is set to depart as a result.

Last month, Nuno confessed that his working partnership with Marinakis had changed following the arrival of global head of football Edu, claiming that he and the Greek businessman were "not so close" anymore. He was then publicly backed by Marinakis, only to later lose his job.

Portuguese outlet Record claim that Nuno's exit will be confirmed by a statement on Tuesday, having taken four points from Forest's first three matches. The likes of Ange Postecoglou, Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers have been rumoured as potential replacements.

While The Athletic state that confirmation that Nuno has been relieved of his duties is imminent, despite leading Forest to Europa League football this season via a sixth-placed finish in the league.

Nuno, who took over from Steve Cooper in December 2023, expressed his concerns over the summer transfer window ahead of Forest's opening game of the campaign and said that they had a "major problem" and were "very, very far from where we should be."

For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express transfer newsletter.

As many as 13 players joined the club in the off-season, including the record signing of Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich. But the new £37.5million man was curiously omitted from Nuno's European squad, along with deadline-day addition Oleksandr Zinchenko.

But the crux of the issue appears to be behind-the-scenes tension between Nuno, Marinakis and Edu. The head coach said that they would hold clear-the-air talks over the international break.

In August, Nuno said "when there's smoke, there's fire" when asked about rumours concerning his job security.

After Marinakis' public backing, Nuno felt somewhat convinced that he would still be in charge for Forest's upcoming trip to Arsenal on Saturday.

"Yes, I think so. I don't know how to answer that but I think so," he said. "I'm totally relaxed in that sense. We need to have a talk about the future of the club and what is the commitment to the club. We want the same thing, we want the best for Forest, that's for sure.

"We have to talk. These kinds of things should be done in the right moment, and the right moment is after the game. Now we are focused on West Ham, then we have the international break and I think that is the right moment."

He didn't regret his complaints about recruitment, however, adding: "I said it, and I don't regret it. Because it was honest, and when you're honest, and true to yourself, you don't have to regret it.

"I'm a person that speaks a lot about things and has a deep reflection about what's going on. But now we are seeing players coming through the door - the club are making a big effort to try to complete the squad. I've been very honest. Mr Marinakis is probably one of the people who knows me best because I've been very honest with him."