O’Rourke has new insight on Nottingham Forest breakdown and how Ange Postecoglou will perform
Evangelos Marinakis and Edu Gaspar will give Ange Postecoglou the backing to be a success at Nottingham Forest, sources have told Football Insider.
Posteocglou took charge at the City Ground on Tuesday after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked overnight following a complete breakdown in his relationship with Marinakis and his very public comments on this.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Nuno was marked for the exit door as soon as he disclosed his lack of alignment with Marinakis and sporting director Edu Gaspar.
Football Insider revealed in the immediate aftermath of Nuno’s dismissal that Postecoglou and several ex-Tottenham staff would replace him, and the Australian’s appointment was confimed within hours.
My sources have said that although dull days are unlikely at Nottingham Forest with Marinakis in charge, Postecoglou will be given the time and funds to build on the foundations build under Nuno’s tutelage.
Forest climbed from 17th to seventh in the Premier League and more than doubled their points tally last season, and sources have told Football Insider that Postecoglou will be backed to reach “the next level”.
Evangelos Marinakis to throw support behind Ange Postecoglou
Football Insider revealed on 8 September that Marinakis and Nuno were holding “crisis talks” at the City Ground, but no bridges were build as a result of these talks and the Portuguese lost his job hours later.
“Nothing surprises us in football any more”, I said on the new Inside Track podcast after being asked about the swift and brutal nature of Nuno’s departure.
“It was a matter of when and not if Nuno was going to lose his job and be forced out, having made public his breakdown in relationship with the owner Evangelos Marinakis, and also Edu as well.
“Once that came to light, it was hard for Nuno to come back from that, unfortunately – it’s never going to be dull at Nottingham Forest, especially when you’ve got Marinakis in charge.
“It’ll be a big loss to them, but Ange Postecoglou is now the Nottingham Forest manager and he’ll be hoping he can kick on from where Nuno was taking Forest, and maybe take them to that next level.”
Nottingham Forest’s new-look squad built for Ange Postecoglou
Postecoglou is already making his presence felt, and Football Insider revealed on Friday that he will urge Forest to keep hold of Elliot Anderson at all costs amid interest from Manchester United in the midfielder.
Nuno’s unwillingness to use new arrivals like Omari Hutchinson and Douglas Luiz proved to be the “final straw” for Marinakis, with £37.5million signing Hutchinson also left out of Forest’s Europa League squad.
The likes of Luiz, Hutchinson, James McAtee, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Dilane Bakwa all look set for more game-time as Forest return to Europe after 29 years, and there may be few better men to lead them than the reigning Europa League champion.