Why Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Nottingham Forest

Nuno Espirito Santo becomes the first manager to be sacked in the Premier League in the 2025/26 season.

This decision exposes a cold reality of modern football: when trust between the head coach and the upper echelons breaks down, professional performance is no longer a shield.

Trust broken by frankness

In football, farewells are rarely decided by the scoreboard alone. Nuno Espirito Santo's case at Nottingham Forest is a prime example.

Last season, he brought the Midlands club back to the Europa League - a dream milestone. Forest have now started the Premier League with four points after three games, not a disastrous number. However, the hot seat at the City Ground changed hands after just one statement that shook confidence: "My relationship with Marinakis is not the same anymore."

For many managers, complaining about the squad or expressing concerns about the future is commonplace. But in the Forest context, Nuno’s confession was not just a truth spoken, but also a “breaking point” of trust. Evangelos Marinakis, the powerful co-owner, immediately felt his authority challenged. “Confusion” was the word he used to describe his reaction, but in reality, it was impatience with a manager who was no longer fully committed.

In modern football, the relationship between coach and owner is a fragile one. One wrong-sounding remark can be the last straw. And for Marinakis, who is famous for his decisiveness, that was enough to extinguish all the efforts Nuno had made.

The paradox is that Forest are not in crisis. They have not lost consecutive games, have not fallen to the bottom of the table, and are still motivated in the Europa League. The 0-3 loss to West Ham was a stumble, but not enough to raise red flags. In the past, many Premier League clubs have given managers more time when their results have not been good. But at the City Ground, the issue is not the points, but whether the manager is still trusted to lead the team.

The rift with Evangelos Marinakis caused coach Nuno to lose his job.

Nuno repeatedly stressed the “unbalanced” squad, asking for goalkeepers and full-backs. Forest then fulfilled all of them, bringing in Zinchenko, Savona, Victor and Bakwa at the end of the transfer window. However, when trust was broken, those new players were not enough to mend it.

Marinakis and his “uncompromising” management

Evangelos Marinakis is not the quiet type of boss. At both Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest, he has repeatedly intervened deeply in football decisions. He is willing to spend money to build the squad, but is also ready to "behead generals" when he sees any sign of betrayal, even if it is just words. With Marinakis, a coach can lose a game, but cannot publicly admit that he and the owner are no longer on the same page.

That style of management can be seen as rigid, even authoritarian. But in the high-pressure Premier League, Marinakis believes that unity at the top – the coaching staff – is the key to survival. If the head coach shows doubts about the project, those doubts will trickle down to the players.

The decision to sack Nuno so soon after the transfer window closed was cold but calculated. It sent a clear message to the dressing room: everyone, from manager to player, must put loyalty first. It was also Forest’s way of protecting stability ahead of a busy schedule of Premier League and Europa League fixtures.

Nuno was a hero when he brought the team back to Europe.

Nuno was once a hero when he brought the team back to Europe, but in the eyes of the board, that achievement cannot be compared to internal cohesion. Because a team without confidence will sooner or later collapse.

Whoever replaces Nuno at the City Ground must understand that this position requires more than just tactical mastery, it also requires the ability to get along with the owner. A manager can manage through difficult times, but if he loses his connection with Marinakis, the road will soon be cut short.

In an increasingly tough Premier League, Forest do not want to test the patience of their fans. They need someone strong enough to steer the team, yet soft enough to maintain the trust of the upper echelons.

Nuno Espirito Santo left Nottingham Forest not because of failure on the pitch, but because of a breakdown off the pitch. In modern football, where money and power rule, sometimes the most important thing is not points, but consensus. And at the City Ground, trust has been broken – leaving a manager who was once a symbol of success.

Source: https://znews.vn/vi-sao-nuno-espirito-santo-bi-nottingham-forest-sa-thai-post1583680.html