Evangelos Marinakis will regret Nuno Espirito Santo row as Nottingham Forest saga turns toxic
Nottingham Forest’s eccentric owner, Evangelos Marinakis’ reputation looks set to take a new twist after intensifying his row with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
Espirito Santo has been in charge at the City Ground since December 2023, taking over with the club embroiled in a relegation battle.
Having led them to safety on the final day the Portuguese coach achieved new heights with the club last season taking Forest from 17th to seventh, helping the club secure a place in this season’s Europa League.
The former goalkeeper has managed Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur during his time in England having also had spells at Porto, Valencia, Al-Ittihad, and Rio Ave.
Inevitably Espirito Santo and Marinakis’ personalities have clashed in recent weeks due to concerns over the Red’s transfer business, and Marinakis may come to regret the row in the coming weeks.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Evangelos Marinakis clash could spell disaster for Nottingham Forest
After dispatching Brentford 3-1 on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season at the City Ground, optimism was high as Espirito Santo’s side continued on from last season’s magnificent campaign.
However, as the week has rolled on murmurs of a falling out between Marinakis and Espirito Santo emerged on Friday (22 August) with reports now suggesting the 51-year-old is close to being sacked, saying: “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
It is unclear how the disagreement came about and how long the relationship has been frayed between the club’s owner and head coach but the news will be unwelcome for Nottingham Forest fans.
It is worth remembering the clash that the pair had on the pitch at the back end of last season following a draw with rivals Leicester City.
Initially it was believed to be due to the subpar performance of Espirito Santo’s side, but it was later suggested that it was due to Marinakis’ concern for the wellbeing of striker Taiwo Awoniyi who continued to play despite an injury that later left the forward hospitalised.
Concern for fans as relationship sours
With the two now coming to blows once again it will be concerning for fans of the club, who enjoyed their best top flight season in recent memory under Espirito Santo.
The former-Wolves boss showcased the potential of true counter-attacking football last season setting his team up in a low block before breaking away with Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The club has the joint-sixth best defensive record in the league last season built on their steely backline of Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Ola Aina and Neco Williams ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels.
| Matches | 38 |
| Goals against per 90 | 1.21 |
| Shots on target faced/saves made | 165/119 |
| Clean sheets | 13 |
| Clean sheet percentage | 34.2% |
| Post-shot xG | 49.1 |
| Goals against | 46 |
Having lost Anthony Elanga this summer Marinakis stepped in to block the transfer of Gibbs-White to Tottenham, meaning Forest were able to retain the majority of their team from last season.
Dan Ndoye, one of Sunday’s goalscorers, replaced Elanga while Arnaud Kalimuendo, James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson reinforced the attack, but without Espirito’s Santo’s tutelage the squad may struggle to reflect last season’s form.
A new manager may free up the creativity of the side’s attacking players but equally leave the back four exposed to more open transitional play, which may hamper a group of players that have found their success by defending resolutely as a unit.
While the grass may seem greener elsewhere, it is important Marinakis proceeds with caution, as Espirito Santo’s impact at Nottingham Forest may be more than what many believe.