(Credit: Imago/Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)

Charlie Grace

Fri 22 August 2025 19:19, UK

Nuno Espirito Santo may have landed himself in hot water after his comments ahead of Nottingham Forest’s match away to Crystal Palace this weekend.

Espirito Santo led Forest to a seventh placed finish in the Premier League last season, a ten position jump from their 2023-24 campaign.

Forest opened their 2025-26 account with a 3-1 home win over a struggling Brentford, optimism was high around the City Ground.

However, on Friday (22 August) Espirito Santo made alarming comments in his pre match press conference regarding his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Marinakis, and the Forest board have now responded to Espirito Santo’s comments with a statement of their own which may see the 51-year-old in trouble.

Espirito Santo and Evangelos Marinakis’ relationship breaks down

The saga has come to a boiling point in staggering fashion with Espirito Santo’s comments sparking Marinakis into a response.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett revealed: Marinakis and Nottingham Forest bosses baffled by Nuno’s words – there was no intention of sacking him.

“But those words have caused some to seriously question his commitment to the job, feeling that he may be trying to get sacked, and it’s now a real possibility Nuno may not be in charge for the Crystal Palace match [on Sunday],” Dorsett continued.

The Portuguese boss had earlier revealed that his relationship with Marinakis had deteriorated, and questions around his position at the club have been swirling.

This latest twist suggests it was Espirito Santo, not Marinakis, who instigated conversations surrounding his position in charge at the City Ground.

Can Nottingham Forest cope with the demands of European football?

Football Insider verdict

Having finished seventh in the league last season, and thanks to Palace being demoted to the Conference League, Forest will play in the Europa League this season.

Clubs have historically struggled with the added demands of playing games during midweek, and particularly the quick turnaround playing on a Thursday evening and then the next Sunday.

Forest have reinvested the money from their sale for Anthony Elanga well, bringing in Bologna’s Dan Ndoye as a replacement for the Swede.

With their added depth, there will be options for rotations in the squad, but it will be intriguing to see how well Forest compete at the top level of these competitions as they adjust to the added workload.